Health of mothers of school-age children with disabilities.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the self-reported health status of mothers of school-age children with disabilities.


METHODS
Seventy-four mothers in the Northern Metropolitan and Eastern Sydney regions completed the MOS 36-item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36). The survey was readministered 11 to 15 months later and completed by sixty-two mothers.


RESULTS
On average, the mothers reported significantly poorer mental health by comparison with population norms for women in New South Wales and for mothers with partners Australia wide.


CONCLUSIONS
In the absence of population data, the results of this study substantiate the findings of earlier studies based on clinical assessment and small group comparison designs.
McConnell
David
D
Australian Family and Disability Studies Research Collaboration, School of Occupation and Leisure Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Sydney, PO Box 170, Lidcombe, New South Wales 1825. d.mcconnell@fhs.usyd.edu.au
Llewellyn
Gwynnyth
G
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001315:Australia / Q000453:epidemiology; D002648:Child; D019988:Children with Disabilities; D005260:Female; D006305:Health Status Indicators; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009035:Mothers / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D016387:Women's Health