GAMBARAN RESPON PSIKOSOSIAL ORANGTUA YANG MEMILIKI ANAK BERKEBUTUHAN KHUSUS

Background: Caring for children with needs is not easy. Not a few parents feel disappointed, embarrassed, and even don't want to admit that their child is different from most other normal children. There is a lot of negative stigma from society towards children with special needs, which can have an impact on the mental condition of parents. Objective: To describe the psychosocial response of parents who have children with special needs. Method: The qualitative research design used in the research is a qualitative research design method. The number of participants in this research was four people who were selected using composite samples. Data obtained from interviews was guided by a semi-structured interview instrument. The data obtained was then analyzed qualitatively to find research themes. Results: Based on the results of this study, themes were obtained including: Initial response to the family's details, Response to the physical burden felt by the family, Feelings of worry by the family about the patient's future, Outgoing emotional response, Family attitude which covers up sad and emotional feelings, Response to feelings of self-esteem low family, the family has entered the acceptance phase. Conclusion: The results of this research can be concluded that parents who care for children with Down syndrome tend to have a negative response and therefore require special treatment from health workers to overcome this problem.