Depressive Symptoms in Adults With Mild to Moderate Intellectual Disability and Their Relation to Maternal Well‐Being

Little is known about the impact on the family of caring for an individual with both intellectual disability and a mental-health problem. We examined the relationship between depressive symptoms in adults with mild to moderate intellectual disability and concurrent maternal well-being as measured by depression, pessimism, subjective burden, and the mother’s perception of the quality of the relationship with her son or daughter. We also examined the extent to which the adult’s depressive symptoms predicted later maternal well-being after controlling for behavior problems and identified covariates. Seventy-one interviews were conducted with mothers regarding their own well-being and their children’s behavior problems as part of a larger longitudinal study of mothers more than 55 years old caring for a coresiding adult son or daughter with intellectual disability. The adult with mild to moderate intellectual disability was interviewed about his or her depressive symptoms. The depressive symptoms of the adult with intellectual disability were correlated with concurrent maternal depression, and were predictive of future maternal depression, pessimism, and subjective burden. They also predict some measures of maternal well-being, and do so beyond what is predicted by behavior problems. These findings suggest that raising an adult child with a dual diagnosis may be more stressful than raising an adult child with intellectual disability only.

[1]  J. Greenberg,et al.  Psychometric evaluation of a self-report measure of depression for individuals with mental retardation. , 2005, American journal of mental retardation : AJMR.

[2]  A. Esbensen,et al.  Cognitive variables and depressed mood in adults with intellectual disability. , 2005, Journal of intellectual disability research : JIDR.

[3]  Jay C. Thomas,et al.  Prevalence of Axis I Psychopathology in an Intellectually Disabled Population: Type of Pathology and Residential Supports , 2005 .

[4]  Y. Lunsky.  Depressive symptoms in intellectual disability: does gender play a role? , 2003, Journal of intellectual disability research : JIDR.

[5]  M. W. Krauss,et al.  Behavior problems in adults with mental retardation and maternal well-being: examination of the direction of effects. , 2003, American journal of mental retardation : AJMR.

[6]  C. Edelbrock,et al.  Pre-school children with and without developmental delay: behaviour problems and parenting stress over time. , 2003, Journal of intellectual disability research : JIDR.

[7]  F. Gary,et al.  Child temperament, ADHD, and caregiver strain: exploring relationships in an epidemiologic sample. , 2003, Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.

[8]  C. Edelbrock,et al.  Behavior problems and parenting stress in families of three-year-old children with and without developmental delays. , 2002, American journal of mental retardation : AJMR.

[9]  J. Blacher,et al.  Behaviour/mental health problems in young adults with intellectual disability: the impact on families. , 2002, Journal of intellectual disability research : JIDR.

[10]  C. Oliver,et al.  The relationship between levels of mood, interest and pleasure and 'challenging behaviour' in adults with severe and profound intellectual disability. , 2002, Journal of intellectual disability research : JIDR.

[11]  P. Hoare,et al.  A community survey of children with severe intellectual disability and their families: psychological adjustment, carer distress and the effect of respite care. , 2002, Journal of intellectual disability research : JIDR.

[12]  S. Deb,et al.  Mental disorder in adults with intellectual disability. 1: Prevalence of functional psychiatric illness among a community-based population aged between 16 and 64 years. , 2001, Journal of intellectual disability research : JIDR.

[13]  R. Pruchno,et al.  Mothers of adults with developmental disability: change over time. , 2001, American journal of mental retardation : AJMR.

[14]  I. Gotlib,et al.  Risk for psychopathology in the children of depressed mothers: a developmental model for understanding mechanisms of transmission. , 1999, Psychological review.

[15]  G. Fujiura.  Demography of family households. , 1998, American journal of mental retardation : AJMR.

[16]  C. Burant,et al.  African American and white mothers of adults with chronic disabilities: Caregiving burden and satisfaction , 1997 .

[17]  F. Floyd,et al.  Parental Stress, Care Demands, and Use of Support Services for School-Age Children with Disabilities and Behavior Problems. , 1997 .

[18]  T. Kratochwill,et al.  Self-reported fears in children with and without mental retardation. , 1997, Mental retardation.

[19]  R. Cummins,et al.  Self-reported fears: a comparison study of youths with and without an intellectual disability. , 1996, Journal of intellectual disability research : JIDR.

[20]  A. Nezu,et al.  Depression in adults with mild mental retardation: Are cognitive variables involved? , 1995, Cognitive Therapy and Research.

[21]  J. Greenberg,et al.  A Comparison of Coping Strategies of Aging Mothers of Adults With Mental Illness or Mental Retardation , 1995 .

[22]  J. Greenberg,et al.  Aging parents of adults with disabilities: the gratifications and frustrations of later-life caregiving. , 1993, The Gerontologist.

[23]  M C Neale,et al.  Major depression and generalized anxiety disorder. Same genes, (partly) different environments? , 1992, Archives of general psychiatry.

[24]  M. Gatz,et al.  Are old people more depressed? Cross-sectional data on Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale factors. , 1990, Psychology and aging.

[25]  R. Eyman,et al.  Who are the dually diagnosed? , 1990, American journal of mental retardation : AJMR.

[26]  Jean A. Baker,et al.  Assessment of depression in persons with mental retardation. , 1988, American journal of mental retardation : AJMR.

[27]  M. Greenberg,et al.  A short-form of the Questionnaire on Resources and Stress. , 1983, American journal of mental deficiency.

[28]  S. Murrell,et al.  Reliability and validity of five mental health scales in older persons. , 1983, Journal of gerontology.

[29]  S. Reiss,et al.  Emotionally disturbed mentally retarded people: an underserved population. , 1982, The American psychologist.

[30]  S. Zarit,et al.  Relatives of the impaired elderly: correlates of feelings of burden. , 1980, The Gerontologist.

[31]  L. Radloff.  The CES-D Scale , 1977 .

[32]  J. Greenberg,et al.  The effect of quality of the relationship between mothers and adult children with schizophrenia, autism, or down syndrome on maternal well-being: the mediating role of optimism. , 2004, The American journal of orthopsychiatry.

[33]  B. Tonge,et al.  Psychopathology and Intellectual Disability: The Australian Child to Adult Longitudinal Study , 2003 .

[34]  E. Costello,et al.  Perceived parental burden and service use for child and adolescent psychiatric disorders. , 1998, American journal of public health.