Parenting a Child with Disabilities
A special issue of Children (ISSN 2227-9067). This special issue belongs to the section "Global Pediatric Health".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 5 September 2025 | Viewed by 105
Special Issue Editors
Interests: family assessment; parent–child relations; children's and adolescents' emotional and educational well-being
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Parenting a child with disabilities is a deeply complex and multifaceted experience that influences parental well-being, family functioning, and child development. This Special Issue seeks to explore the challenges, adaptations, and strengths of parents raising children with disabilities across diverse contexts. We invite original research, theoretical analyses, systematic reviews, and methodological innovations that provide new insights into parenting experiences and practices, support systems, and policy implications.
Focus on Parenting
This Special Issue prioritizes research that centers on the lived experiences of parents, examining their emotional, psychological, and social adaptation processes. Submissions may explore topics such as the following:
- Parental Stress, Coping, and Resilience: The impact of caregiving demands on mental health, self-care strategies, and resilience-building factors.
- Parental Roles and Identity: How parents navigate their evolving roles, expectations, and perceptions of parenting a child with disabilities.
- Parenting Styles and Strategies: Adaptive and maladaptive parenting practices, discipline approaches, and fostering autonomy in children with various disabilities.
- Support Networks and Resources: The role of family, community, peer networks, and professional services in alleviating parental burden.
- Cultural and Socioeconomic Influences on Parenting: How diverse cultural norms and financial realities shape parenting experiences and access to support.
- Parental Gender Differences: Differences in maternal and paternal coping strategies, emotional vulnerability, and caregiving roles. Research may also examine variations in parenting styles, discipline approaches, and advocacy efforts for their child’s special needs.
Additional Areas of Interest
Beyond parenting itself, we encourage submissions that address broader family dynamics, societal influences, and systemic factors affecting parents of children with disabilities, including the following:
- Family Functioning and Relationships: Marital and co-parenting adjustments, sibling perspectives, and extended family involvement.
- Parental Advocacy and Education: The role of parents in navigating special education systems and disability rights advocacy.
- Policy and Societal Challenges: The intersection of parental experiences with healthcare policies, financial strains, and accessibility to necessary services.
Dr. Yosi Yaffe
Guest Editor
Dr. Batel Hazan-Liran
Guest Editor Assistant
Manuscript Submission Information
Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.
Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Children is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.
Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Keywords
- parenting
- disability
- parental stress
- coping strategies
- family dynamics
- support systems
- children
- mental health
- special education
- vulnerability and resilience
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