Mothering with Intellectual Disabilities: Relationship Between Social Support, Health and Well‐Being, Parenting and Child Behaviour Outcomes

Background  There is a general agreement in the literature that no systematic correlation exists between parental intellectual disability per se and parenting performance. Yet, a few studies in the field of parents and parenting with intellectual disability have explored other potential determinants of parenting and child outcomes. In this study, we examined the relationship between maternal social support, psychological well-being, parenting style, quality of the home environment and child problem behaviours. Materials and Methods  The sample included 32 mothers recruited through agencies that offer services exclusively to persons with intellectual disabilities and their families, and each mother’s oldest child in the 2- to 13-year age range. In a series of semi-structured interviews, participating mothers completed a demographic and social support questionnaire, the SF-36 (health measure), the Parenting Stress Index, the HOME Inventory and the Child Behavior Checklist. Parenting style was assessed using the Canadian National Longitudinal Study on Children and Youth parenting questionnaire. Results  On an average, the participating mothers reported poorer physical and mental health compared with population norms. However, a few reported clinically significant levels of parenting stress. Overall, the target children did not have significant problem behaviours, but these were more common in older children. Main findings include a significant correlation between parenting stress, parenting style and perceived child problem behaviours. Conclusion  Global assessment, including health status (mental and physical) and level of parenting stress, as well as everyday life and parenting skills is recommended as basis for designing individualized supports and services for mothers with intellectual disabilities.