Abstracts
Time to care: Consequences of caring for mothers of children with developmental disabilities
Angela Crettenden
PhD Student, University of Adelaide, Discipline of Paediatrics.
Supervised through Research & Evaluation Unit and Public Health & Research Unit, CYWHS; Psychology, University of Adelaide
Caring for children with disabilities can cause considerable strain on time and other resources of parents, particularly mothers who are most often the primary caregiver. The present study aimed to give a detailed picture of the daily lives of parents caring for young children with developmental disabilities who were clients of the Early Childhood Service of Disability Services SA, as well as exploring how the time required by caring impacted on the psychological well-being of parents. Ninety five families took part in the study: children’s diagnoses included global developmental delay, Down syndrome, and autism.
Results of the study showed that mothers caring for children with disabilities spend much more time in active child care activities such as feeding, teaching or comforting, than mothers caring for young children without disabilities. Both mothers and fathers in the study showed high levels of symptoms of depression, and parenting stress. Children’s behaviour problems, time pressure and the practical support given by others had more impact on mothers’ well-being than characteristics of their children such as diagnosis or severity of disability. Mothers’ experience of daily stress was related to a variety of factors, including the difficulties in fitting in caring with other daily tasks, the number of caring activities undertaken in the day, the mothers’ relationships with others, and worries about their child. The results of the study will be used to help Disability Services SA find ways to better support mothers in their role of primary caregiver to their children with disabilities.
