In this study, we investigated attitudes of parents who reared nonhandicapped children, using our short form of the QRS. We compared 49 items between parents of nonhandicapped children and mothers of handicapped children. Within those 49 items, parents of nonhandicapped children produced lower scores on 46 items than mothers of handicapped children. The former produced higher scores on only 3 items than the latter.
Next, we classified parents of nonhandicapped children into subgroups as follows : parents whose children attended urban schools/parents whose children attended rural schools ; parents of boys/parents of girls ; parents of preschool children/parents of 1-2 grades children/parents of 3-4 grades children/parents of 5-6 grades children ; fathers/mothers ; parents 20-29 years of age/parents 30-39 years of age/parents 40-49 years of age. We compared the 11 scales between each of them.
5 scales of those 11 scales (Mother's Affliction, Financial Problems, Lack of Family Integration, Physical Incapacitation, Need for the Care of Index Case) produced differences according to those breakdowns.
As to urban/rural differences, parents whose children went to urban schools produced higher scores of Financial Problems, Lack of Family Integration and Physical Incapacitation than parents whose children went to rural schools. Further, the former produced lower scores of Mother's Affliction, and Need for the Care of Index Case than the latter.
We also examined sex and class differences of the children. Parents of boys produced a higher score of Need for Care of Index Case than parents of girls. Parents of preschoolchildren produced a lower score of Mother's Affliction than parents of primary school children. And, the former produced higher scores of Financial Problems. Lack of Family Integration, Physical Incapactation than the latter.
Further, we examined sex and age differences of parents. Fathers showed a higher score of Financial Problems than mothers. And, fathers showed a lower score of Physical Incapacitation than mothers. Older parents responded lower on Physical Incapacitation.
Finally, six scales (Pessimism about Child Develapment, Overprotection/Dependency, Anxiety for the Future of Index Case, Socied Isolation, Burden for Members of the Family, Intellectual Incapacitation) produced no differences with regard to those subgroup classifications.