The Social Life and Emotional State of Adolescent Children of Parents Who Are Blind and Sighted: A Pilot Study

This pilot study compared the development of two groups of adolescents—those whose parents were blind and those whose parents were sighted. It found that there were no essential differences between the groups. Moreover, the friendship relationships, feelings toward parents, and some essential characteristics of the adolescents’ emotional state were more positive among the adolescents whose parents were blind. Since the 1960s, there has been growing interest in the effects of disabilities of parents on the development of children, and an increasing number of studies have dealt with this subject (Ackerson, 2003; Aldridge & Becker, 1999; Finney & Miller, 1999; Keith & Morris, 1996; Kelley, Sikka, & Venkatesan, 1997; Olsen & Parker, 1997; Wells & Jones, 2000). The main topics of these studies have been the quality of parenting (Olsen & Clarke, 2003), long-term outcomes for children of parents with disabilities and the impact of parents’ disabilities on children’s mental health and social behavior (Peters & McMahon, 2002; Olsen & Clarke, 2003), and the children’s role as “young carers” for their disabled parents (Aldridge & Becker, 2003). No studies have been conducted on the attitudes of children and adolescents toward their parent or parents with disabilities, emotional responses to the situation, and social life. The main goal of the study presented here was to compare the social life, emotional state, and feelings toward parents of ad160 Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness, March 2007 olescents with parents who are blind and those with sighted parents. Theoretical background