THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PARENTS' EXHAUSTION AND LIFE SATISFACTION: A STUDY ON THE FAMILIES OF INDIVIDUALS WITH SPECIAL NEEDS

Abstract

The aim of this study is to examine the relationship between burnout and life satisfaction of individuals who have children with special needs. Another aim of the study is to examine whether burnout and life satisfaction differ according to the variables of gender, age and educational status. In our research, the survey technique was applied as the data collection method and the study was carried out on a voluntary basis. The universe of the research is the parents of 343 students receiving special education in rehabilitation centers. The sample consisted of 343 participants. The Maslach Burnout Scale and Life Satisfaction Scale were applied to the participants, as well as the personal information form created by the researcher. The analyzes of the study were carried out using the SPSS program. Reliability analysis was performed to determine the reliability levels of the overall scale and its sub-dimensions and the “Chronbach Alpha Coefficient” was obtained. As a statistical analysis, Mann Whitney U, Kruskal Wallis and Spearman correlation analysis was applied to the research group. According to the findings obtained from the research, it has been determined that the burnout level of women is higher than that of men, individuals between the ages of 34-41 have a higher level of life satisfaction than individuals between the ages of 18-25, and there is a weak positive relationship between burnout and life satisfaction.