International Journal of Health Sciences & Research (www.ijhsr.org) 134 Vol.8; Issue: 2; February 2018 International Journal of Health Sciences and Research www.ijhsr.org ISSN: 2249-9571 Original Research Article Attitude of Parents towards Their Intellectually Disabled Children and its Associated Psychosocial Impact on Them Suchismita Pahantasingh 1 , K. Jaykrishnan 2 , Jhunilata Pradhan 1 , Krishna Kumari Samantaray 1 , Rubi Pradhan 1 1 Msc.Tutor, 2 Assistant Professor, SUM Nursing College, Sector-8, Kalinga Nagar, Ghatikia, Bhubaneswar-751003 Corresponding Author: Suchismita Pahantasingh ABSTRACT Today’s modern life style is increasing the number of Intellectual disabled children and the birth of disabled child is a stigmatic situation both for the parents and family. Family members go through a plethora of emotions due to the detection of intellectual disability including denial, shock, anger, grief, guilt, embarrassment, depression. Some parents may have negative attitude and psychosocial impact towards intellectually disabled children. Objectives: The study is an attempt to assess the attitude of parents towards intellectual disabled children, its associated psychosocial impact and the relationship between them. Materials and Methods: A non experimental descriptive research design was undertaken to conduct the study. The data were collected from 30 samples from a selected special learning institution, Bhubaneswar. To achieve the goal of the study self structured five point Likert’s scale and modified NIMH psychosocial impact scale was used to collect the data. Results: The findings of the study demonstrate that 23.34% negative and 70% having positive attitude and upon parents there are 10% of intermediate positive psycho social impact, 90% severe positive psychosocial impact, 86% intermediate negative impact and 7% of mild and severe negative psychosocial impact and after analysis it is revealed that there is significant positive relationship between the attitude and psychosocial impact among the parents as the r value is 0.18. This means that if attitude becomes positive the impact will be positive. Key Words: Attitude, Psycho social impact and intellectually disabled children INTRODUCTION Birth of a baby in a family is a time for delighting and celebration in a family. Parents have series of thoughts and expectations for their newly born baby. This excitement may become suppressed with the birth of a disabled child. It does not matter whether the disablement is blindness, retardation or a physical deformity. [1] These discrepancy between the normal baby of their imagination and the actual new born child may develop negative attitudes and parental trauma. The parents may confronted with a wide range of emotions like denial, shock, anger, grief, guilt, blame, frustration and despair due to the birth of a disabled child. Parents may over protect their child and blame to self that they are responsible for the child’s disability. [2] Some parents also experience helplessness, feelings of incompleteness, resentment, shock and guilt where as others go through periods of disbelief, depression, self blame and embarrassment. [3]