The Role of Informal Supports on Parent Stress and Family-Professional Partnerships of Latino Parents of Children with Disabilities

Informal supports have been identified as frequently accessed sources of support for Latino families, and challenges Latinos face in obtaining adequate support through formal sources are also recognized. However, informal supports may be less available to parents of children with disabilities. The current study looks at the relationships between parent stress, informal social supports, and family professional partnership (FPP) for Latino parents of children with disabilities. In this study 168 parents who identified as Latino and a parent of a child with a disability completed surveys in early 2022 about their parenting stress, sources of support, and FPP. The study highlights nuances in the relationships between these constructs, among Latino parents of children with disabilities, and found when a parent reports low informal supports, there is a significant relationship between parent stress and FPP, specifically when measuring the total support offered and support provided to a child by an educator. Increased awareness of informal and formal supports available to and accessed by Latino families will help educators gain a more complete picture of the needs of a child and their family, and can inform the efforts around building relationships with the families they serve.