Effects of Psychoeducation using the HeartMath™ system on stress and wellness for Korean caregivers of children with disabilities

Effects of Psychoeducation using the HeartMath™ system on stress and wellness for Korean caregivers of children with disabilities

Stress and health has been a concern in particular for the caregiving population. According to the findings from the Stress in America survey (American Psychological Association [APA], 2012), caregivers report having poor health, significantly higher stress levels than the general population, and poor stress management and prevention behaviors. While these findings have focused on caregivers of family members that are aging or chronically ill, studies on caregivers of children with disabilities (CCDs) also report negative experiences such as increased stress (Murphy, Christian, Caplin, & Young, 2006) and worse quality of life compared to the general population or to parents with healthy children (Lin et al., 2009; Mugno, Ruta, D’Arrigo, & Mazzone, 2007; Ones, Yilmaz, Cetinkaya, & Calgar, 2005). In particular, CCDs report higher levels of parental stress than caregivers of children without disabilities (Baker-Ericzen, Brookman-Frazee, & Stahmer, 2005; Butcher, Wind, & Bouma, 2008; Wolf, Noh, Fisman, & Speechley, 1989). Parental stress has been found to be associated with the well-being of CCDs (Cramm & Nieboer, 2011b; Skok, Harvey, & Reddihough, 2006).