MECHANISMS OF MEETING ENVIRONMENTAL STRESSES AND COPING OF FAMILIES OF DOWN SYNDROME CHILDREN

In the last few decades, most of children with Down syndrome used not to receive enough medical care. They were deprived from all medical care except for primary ones. It was rarely that injuries, congenital deficits of heart, endocrine glands disorders, sensory weakness, and muscle-skeletal‎ system disequilibrium and problems could be treated. Early intervention, special educational programs, and creative entertainment services were not available. This present study drives at identifying the mechanisms of meeting environmental stresses and coping in families of children with Down syndrome. The researcher defined the sample that consisted of (60) items of families of children with Down syndrome. The researcher used the descriptive (qualitative) method, applying a questionnaire form on families of children in private centers for those with special needs. This research came into some results which most important were: There was a statistically significant correlation between environmental stress and coping in a sample of males. There was also a statistically significant correlation between mechanisms of meeting environmental stress and coping in a sample of males and the full sample. There were statistically significant differences between study sample items due to sex variable regarding the family dimension. There were statistically significant differences between study sample items due to sex variable regarding the psychological dimension. The research came to several recommendations which most important were: The importance of increasing awareness in society about the reasons of this disease (down syndrome) and the problems that families of children with Down syndrome were meeting and how could society could deal with those children through holding meetings, lectures, programs and using television programs and press communication means. Knowledge and awareness should also be increased towards the psychological and social aspects in those special children, providing services and spiritual potentials for mothers of those children in a sufficient way. There should be more working on increasing mothers’ awareness of strategies of meeting psychological stress which is considered as stability factor that assists mothers to keep their social and psychological adjustment in society to encounter stressors of events and incidents in their lives.