In this study, we tried to make a short form of the QRS, and cornpared our questionnaire with Friedrich's short form of it.
Using the data of 236 QRSs, we factor analysed each of the three categories of the QRS : the parent problems, the family problems, and the child problems.
We extracted 5 factors out of the parent problems, 3 factors out of the family problems, and 3 factors out of the child problems. To make 11 five-item scales, we remained 49 items of the QRS and newly added 6 items.
Friedrich and his colleagues made their short form, which had 4 scales (52 items). It is intresting to find that both short forms have like lengths, and 19 common items.
Then, we compared 15 scales of the QRS of our 110 mothers with those of Friedrich's 254 parents.
Financial Problems, Lack of Activities for Index Case, Occupational Limitations for Index Case, and Social Obtrusiveness of our mothers showed more stressful scores than Friedrich's parents. Negative Attitude toward Index Case and Difficult Personality Characteristics of our mothers showed lower scores than Friedrich's parents.
We have to research where those differences come from : Is that because of the differences of the subjects or the differences of the culture in which those subjects are living ? But, 9 scales of the QRS showed same burdens. We guessed that even in the different culture the parents who reared the handicapped child had similar heavy loads.
A Cross-Cultural Study to Stress of Parents Rearing the Hanndicapped Children.