Care demands and professional commitments of parents of children with specific learning disabilities: a systematic review

TL;DR

This paper reviews how parents of children with learning disabilities struggle to balance work and caregiving, highlighting stress and coping strategies.

Contribution

The study systematically reviews literature to identify challenges and coping mechanisms of working parents of children with specific learning disabilities.

Findings

Parents face elevated stress and difficulty connecting with support networks.

Coping strategies include emotion-focused approaches and seeking social support.

Societal expectations and cultural norms influence how parents balance work and caregiving roles.

Abstract

Balancing employment responsibilities and care demands of parents of children with specific learning disabilities (SLDs) often creates a challenging situation. This systematic review synthesizes and evaluates studies to elucidate the complex challenges these parents face in balancing their professional work and parental duties.

This study aimed to synthesize the existing literature on the challenges faced by parents to effectively manage both their professional commitments and the care demands of their children with specific learning disabilities.

A variety of databases, including PubMed, Web of Science, and ScienceDirect, were used. A manual search was also conducted using Google Scholar and ResearchGate to identify additional studies. This review focused on studies conducted between January 1995 and May 2025, involving working parents (mothers and fathers) of children with specific learning disabilities under the age of 18. A total of 15 studies met the eligibility criteria for inclusion. The methodological quality was assessed using the Critical Assessment Checklist developed by the Joanna Briggs Institute.

The results show that parents experience various challenges, including elevated stress levels and difficulty in connecting with support networks, while navigating societal perspectives on their child’s condition. A wide range of coping skills was identified, such as using emotion-focused strategies, seeking social support, and employing various parenting approaches. Thus, the way parents balance their roles as both caregivers and employees is influenced by societal expectations and cultural norms.

The literature emphasizes the challenges parents face in balancing their dual roles as employees and carers. The analysis highlights the need to develop parental-mediated interventions, legislation, and supportive environments to help parents effectively manage their dual roles.

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