title: 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.
abstract: This article investigates the effects of the quality of the relationship between maternal caregivers and their adult child with disabilities on maternal well-being and whether this effect is mediated by dispositional optimism. Mothers caring for an adult child with Down syndrome (n=126), schizophrenia (n=292), or autism (n=102) were surveyed. Mothers of adults with schizophrenia and autism had better psychological well-being when the mother/adult child relationship was positive, but this effect was mediated totally or partially by optimism. For all 3 groups, optimism was related to better mental and physical health. The findings highlight the importance of dispositional optimism, a psychological resource that has been virtually ignored in studies of family caregivers of adults with disabilities.
authors.affiliation: Waisman Center and School of Social Work, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53705, USA.
authors.forename: Jan Steven
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Greenberg
authors.forename: Marsha Mailick
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Seltzer
authors.forename: Marty Wyngaarden
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: Krauss
authors.forename: Rita Jing-Ann
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Chou
authors.forename: Jinkuk
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hong
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001290:Attitude; D001321:Autistic Disorder; D004314:Down Syndrome; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008603:Mental Health; D008875:Middle Aged; D009034:Mother-Child Relations; D011788:Quality of Life; D012559:Schizophrenia; D013315:Stress, Psychological