This book provides a convenient, single source for better understanding the major stressors parents of deaf and hearing-impaired children confront, and the strategies and resources they use to cope with the experience of grief, depression, anxiety, panic, and other negative states that often threaten their personal and family lives. The authoritative studies in this volume dispel stereotypes about parents of deaf and hearing-impaired children, by revealing differences in how they cope with stressors --as individuals and members of diverse social, ethnic, and national groups. The following are some of the vital questions answered in this book about parents of deaf and hearing-impaired children--by leading thinkers in psychology, social work, sociology, medicine, education, and psychiatry: * What common stressors do the parents face?* Do White, Black, and Hispanic parents use different coping styles and strategies for dealing with stress? * Do hearing and deaf parents respond to and cope with stress differently? * Does the passage of time alleviate the nature of stress or the coping strategies that parents use to deal with stress?* What types of parents benefit most from support groups? * Which coping strategies are generally the most and the least effective?* What effect does a deaf or hearing-impaired child have on the relationship between husband and wife, siblings, and other family members? The rich collection of facts, perspectives and insights contained in this anthology makes it a vital resource not only for parents and students of deaf and hearing-impaired children and their families, but for all individuals concerned about issues involving stress, coping, and functioning among family members. of different social, ethnic, and national groups.