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The experience of health and wellness in mothers of young children with intellectual disabilities
- Authors:
- MACKEY Sandra, GODDARD Linda D.
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Intellectual Disabilities, 10(4), December 2006, pp.305-315.
- Publisher:
- Sage
- Place of publication:
- London
This interpretive research study examined the health and wellness of mothers who have a child with an intellectual disability aged 0–5 years. Interview data were collected from five women living in a rural Australian city, and analysed using qualitative techniques. The research revealed that the mothers' health is backgrounded in time, space and the physical body, because their horizon of awareness is directed toward the needs of the child with a disability.
Children's delayed development and behavior problems: impact on mothers' perceived physical health across early childhood
- Authors:
- EISENHOWER Abbey Severance, BAKER Bruce L., BLANCHER Jan
- Journal article citation:
- Social Science and Medicine, 68(1), January 2009, pp.89-99.
- Publisher:
- Elsevier
Mothers of children with developmental delays may experience poorer psychological well-being than other mothers; however, little research has examined how delayed development in children might predict mothers' perceived physical well-being. Children with delayed development manifest heightened behaviour problems, which may negatively affect maternal well-being. The authors examined the associations between developmental delay and behaviour problems at child age 3 and mothers' self-perceived physical health at child ages 3, 4, and 5, in families of 218 children with and without developmental delays. The study sample comprised 218 families from central Pennsylvania and Southern California, USA who were recruited through community agencies that provide diagnostic and intervention services for individuals with development difficulties. Results found that mothers of children with delayed development at age 3 reported poorer concurrent and later physical health than mothers of children with typical development. Broadening the analyses to include not only child development status (delayed development versus typical development) but also child behaviour problems at age 3, only child behaviour problems and the interaction of development status and behaviour problems, but not development status itself, predicted maternal health. Early child behaviour problems contributed to later maternal health above and beyond early maternal health, suggesting a possible causal association between child behaviour problems and mothers' physical health. The relation between child behaviour problems and maternal health was moderated by mothers' parenting stress and mediated by depressive symptoms. Mothers of children with both delayed development and high behaviour problems are a particular risk group that may be especially in need of early intervention. Further research should examine the behavioural and biological pathways by which these child-related stressors influence mothers' physical health.
The health and economic well-being of US mothers with intellectual impairments
- Authors:
- POWELL Robyn M., PARISH Susan L., AKOBIRSHOEV Ilhom
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities, 30(3), 2017, p.456–468.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
Background: While the United States has seen increased attention by policymakers on the rights of parents with disabilities, there is limited understanding of the health and economic well-being of parents with intellectual impairments. This study compares the health and economic well-being of mothers with and without intellectual impairments. Methods: This descriptive, exploratory study is a secondary analysis of the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study. This study includes a subsample of mothers of three-year-old children (n = 1561), including mothers with intellectual impairments (n = 263) and without intellectual impairments (n = 1298). Results: US Mothers with intellectual impairments are more likely to report serious health conditions, have less instrumental support, live in poverty, receive public benefits and experience certain material hardships. Conclusion: Findings from this study indicate the need for policies and programmes to support parents with intellectual impairments by addressing their health and economic needs. (Publisher abstract)