An Explorative Study on the Adaptive Strain and Temperament Patterns in Parents of Children with Special Educational Needs: A Clinical Study Using the Taylor-Johnson Temperament Analysis
Dr. Benny Wai Lun Lam （ Hong Kong Association of Professionals Specializing in Addiction Counseling (HKAPSAC) ）
Dr. Adrian Low Eng Ken （ Hong Kong Association of Psychology (HKAP) ）
Mr. Tony Chau （ Rope Therapy Association (RTA) ）
Mr. Marco Wong （ Rope Therapy Association (RTA) ）
https://doi.org/10.37155/2972-3086-0501-8Abstract
Parents of children with Special Educational Needs (SEN) encounter prolonged psychological demands that extend beyond episodic stress, shaping enduring patterns of emotional regulation, interpersonal functioning, and behavioral adaptation. While existing literature has predominantly emphasized caregiver burden and psychopathology, considerably less attention has been directed toward the temperament structures that underlie adaptive and maladaptive responses in this population. This study examines temperament characteristics among parents of children with SEN using the Taylor-Johnson Temperament Analysis (T-JTA), a standardized instrument measuring nine bipolar dimensions of personality functioning. A sample of fifteen primary caregivers — predominantly female, married, and ranging in age from 24 to 60 years — was assessed using the T-JTA Self Shaded Profile. Findings reveal consistent patterns of heightened emotional sensitivity, pronounced empathic orientation, and strong behavioral self-discipline across the sample. Simultaneously, notable variability was observed in domains of social engagement, emotional expressiveness, and dominance, reflecting the diversity of adaptive strategies employed within this population. To conceptualize this duality, the study introduces the construct of adaptive strain — defined as the coexistence of sustained psychological burden and functional resilience within the same individual. The findings underscore the clinical value of personality-informed assessment and intervention, advocating for individualized caregiver support models that integrate temperament profiling with body–mind approaches such as Rope Therapy (Lam et al., 2024; Lam et al., 2026) and neuroregulation techniques including EEG neurofeedback (Low et al., 2025). Future research should incorporate larger samples, inferential statistical modeling, and longitudinal designs to further validate and extend these findings.
Keywords
Special Educational Needs; temperament; T-JTA; caregiver psychology; resilience; adaptive strain; Rope Therapy; neurofeedbackFull Text
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Copyright © 2026 Dr. Benny Wai Lun Lam, Dr. Adrian Low Eng Ken, Mr. Tony Chau, Mr. Marco Wong
Publishing time:2026-01-29
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License