Parental Anxiety among Parents of Children with Special Needs: A Systematic Review of Contributing Factors

Authors

  • Ismiyanti Ismiyanti Universitas 17 Agustus 1945 Surabaya
  • IGAA Noviekayati Universitas 17 Agustus 1945 Surabaya
  • Suhadianto Suhadianto Universitas 17 Agustus 1945 Surabaya

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.55927/fjmr.v5i7.137

Keywords:

Anxiety, Children With Special Needs, Physical, Mental, Emotional

Abstract

Children with special needs require extra parental attention to support their optimal growth and development. Children with special needs have many weaknesses in terms of physical, mental, emotional and social so that it often triggers anxiety of their parents. Anxiety of parents of children with special needs occurs because of the hope that children can grow and develop normally like children in general. This study aims to systematically review the factors causing anxiety of parents of children with special needs. This study uses the Systematic Literature Review (SLR) method using PRISMA guidelines with a total of 20 articles reviewed. The search database through Google Scholar, Scopus and Semantic Scholar with English keywords "parent of children with disabilities AND anxiety AND risk factors OR determinant OR predictor." The journal search criteria are based on the years 2020-2025, participation of parents of children with special needs and the use of English and Indonesian. The results of the study indicate that there are several factors that cause anxiety in parents who have children with special needs, including parental expectations, feelings of failure to meet demands, burden of responsibility, low quality of life, not understanding children's needs, family conditions, tense relationships between families, difficulty dividing time with family, depression, stress, mental and emotional exhaustion, lack of social support, fear of being left behind in terms of education, type of disability, witnessing children's challenges and limitations, physical health and mental burden of parents.

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Published

2026-07-31

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Section

Articles