title: Life satisfaction and activity preferences in parents of Down's syndrome children.
abstract: The impact of parenting a child with Down's syndrome on life satisfaction and non-work activities was investigated in 37 couples using mailed checklists. The results were compared with those found in all 89 parents from a randomly selected population. Only for 7 of the 41 non-work activities were there differences between the two groups of parents. The vast majority of both groups were satisfied or very satisfied with life as a whole and with partnership relations, sexual life and family life. The 8 domains of life satisfaction formed 3 factors. In congruence with previous findings in a non-selected sample these factors were significant classifiers for satisfaction with life as a whole, an expressive (emotion related) factor being the major classifier. The close similarities in non-work activities and life satisfaction are interpreted as a result of adequate adaptive resources within the majority of families of children with Down's syndrome.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, University of Umeå, Sweden.
authors.forename: I B
authors.initials: IB
authors.lastname: Bränholm
authors.forename: E A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Degerman
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D015331:Cohort Studies; D004314:Down Syndrome; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008019:Life Style; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010290:Parents / Q000523:psychology*; D012737:Sex Factors; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology / Q000523:psychology; D013548:Sweden / Q000453:epidemiology