Anxiety level among parents of newly diagnosed children with speech-language impairment: a study using the Malay version of DASS

Marhaban, Juliana Aminah and Ngadimin, Nuratirah Nazihah and Sarkarsi, Rosnani (2025) Anxiety level among parents of newly diagnosed children with speech-language impairment: a study using the Malay version of DASS. International Journal of Allied Health Sciences, Vol. 9 (SUPP3). pp. 523-529. E-ISSN 2600-8491

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Abstract

Background: Parents of newly diagnosed children with speech-language impairment often experience elevated levels of anxiety and stress, primarily due to concerns about their child’s developmental future and the complexity of intervention pathways. This study aims to assess the anxiety levels among these parents using the validated Malay version of the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS-M). Methods: A cross-sectional quantitative study was conducted involving 15 parents whose children were diagnosed with speech-language impairment within the past 12 months. Participants completed demographic questions and the DASS-M via an online Google Form. Data were analysed to identify anxiety levels and explore associations with demographic variables: educational level, socioeconomic status, and parent age group. Results: Most participants (86.7%) reported no anxiety, while 13.3% reported mild anxiety. Correlation analysis showed no statistically significant associations between anxiety and socioeconomic status, parent age group, and educational level. Power analysis indicated that all tests were underpowered (power < 0.80), limiting the ability to detect true relationships. Conclusion: This study examined anxiety levels among parents of children newly diagnosed with speech-language impairment using the DASS-M, finding that most reported no symptoms while a few exhibited mild anxiety. Despite limitations such as a small sample size and potential underreporting, the findings highlight the need for culturally sensitive tools and support strategies to better understand and address parental emotional responses during the early post-diagnosis stages.

Item Type:	Article (Journal)
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Parental anxiety; speech-language impairment; newly diagnosed children; DASS-M
Subjects:	R Medicine > RJ Pediatrics > RJ52 Therapeutics R Medicine > RZ Other systems of medicine > RZ400 Mental healing
Kulliyyahs/Centres/Divisions/Institutes (Can select more than one option. Press CONTROL button):	Kulliyyah of Allied Health Sciences Kulliyyah of Allied Health Sciences > Department of Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology Kulliyyah of Nursing Kulliyyah of Nursing > Department of Special Care Nursing
Depositing User:	Dr. Juliana Aminah Marhaban
Date Deposited:	12 May 2026 12:42
Last Modified:	12 May 2026 12:42
Queue Number:	2026-05-Q3294
URI:	http://irep.iium.edu.my/id/eprint/128921

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