The Relationship between Religiosity and Social Support with Coping Styles in the Mothers of Children with Special Needs

Abstract

: Studying factors associated with coping resources of mothersof exceptional children who are exposed to stress is very important. This studyexamined the role of religiosity and social support and coping styles inmothers of exceptional children. Methods: This was adescriptive-correlational study and its population were all mothers andchildren from the city of Astara. Data were collected from 67 patients who wereselected by convenience sampling. To collect data, the Religiousness, Coping Strategiesand Social Support questionnaires were used. The collected data were analyzed throughPearson correlation and multiple regression. Results: The results showedthat there was a relationship between religiosity and coping with stress. Also,the relationship between social support and coping strategies was significant. Bothvariables could predict coping styles of mothers who had exceptional childrenas well. Conclusion:Coping with stress styles of mothers of exceptionalchildren can be predicted by social support and religiosity variables. So, toreduce stress and to improve coping strategies in this population, it isrecommended that the role of religiosity and social support be considered.

Keywords

• religiousness
• social support
• coping strategies
• mothers
• children with special needs