American International Journal of Humanities and Social Science (AIJHSS)

This study provides an initial look at the well-being of parents who receive income from the Supplementary Security Income (SSI) program. One hundred and twenty-seven participants were interviewed about their experiences receiving SSI income, their physical and mental health, social relationships and caregiving practices. While existing research focuses on a specific dimension of disability, such as mobility limitations, this research allows for a comparison between disability types and sheds light on how symptoms relate to specific parenting constructs. While both physical and mental health disabilities were associated with greater difficulty completing parenting tasks, only mental health disabilities were found to increase parenting stress and decrease respondents’ sense of parenting competence. Parents with mental health problems also reported a greater level of material hardship, including food insecurity. These