Parental Perception and Challenges in Raising a Child with Special Needs in Developing Countries

Caring for a child with special needs is a complex caregiving experience with emotional, social, educational, medical and economic implications for parents. In Bangladesh, parents often have to deal with psychological stress, social embarrassment, insufficient educational support, poor access to healthcare and financial difficulties. However, past research has mainly focused on individual topics such as autism, schooling, rehabilitation or carer stress, and there is limited quantitative evidence examining these fundamental caregiving drivers combined, in one model. The present study aims to explore parental perceptions and challenges of raising children with special needs in Bangladesh by investigating psychological stress, social stigma and discrimination, access to education and school support, access to healthcare and professional services and financial burden of caregiving. A quantitative cross-sectional research method was adopted because it permitted data gathering from a large sample at one point in time. Purposive-convenience sample and a structured Likert scale questionnaire were used to collect data from 384 parents and primary carers. The instrument was validated by reliability analysis with Cronbach’s Alpha values above the acceptable limit. The data were analyzed using SPSS version 27.0 employing frequency analysis, descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation and multiple regression analysis. Findings indicated that all five independent factors were positively and strongly correlated with parental perspective and caregiving problems. Psychological stress was the most strongly associated, followed by issues in healthcare access and financial load. All five factors were significant predictors according to the regression analyses and accounted for 54.8% of the variation. The research offers a comprehensive quantitative framework for understanding the challenges of caregiving in Bangladesh and underscores the significance of mental health support, inclusive education, accessible therapy, public awareness, and financial help.