Urban Parents' Perceptions About the Role of Organized Religion and Spiritual Beliefs in Their Family Life

Parents with children with cognitive disabilities may rely on organized religion and/or spiritual beliefs as coping strategies in their lives. Fifteen parents of adolescents with cognitive disabilities were administered the Support From Religious Organizational and Personal Beliefs Scale—Revised to test this hypothesis. The results indicated that 50% of the participants did not (a) become more active in organized religion activities when their child with cognitive disabilities was born, (b) seek out assistance from the church when they experienced problems, or (c) perceive the church as being more supportive of them when compared with other agencies. In addition, 56% of the participants perceived that (a) they were satisfied with their personal beliefs, (b) they sought comfort through prayer, and (c) their personal beliefs continued to be a source of comfort in nurturing their child.