Stress and coping of mothers of children with moderate mental retardation.

Perceptions of family stress and coping behavior of 90 mothers with a moderately mentally retarded child were examined. Measures of family stress and coping were administered to subjects with a retarded child in one of three normative transition periods. There were no significant differences in family stress scores across the three child age groups. Significant differences were found for race and maternal age with regard to perceived stress. Significant differences in coping behaviors were found for race, marital status, and socioeconomic status.