title: Perceived quality of life in mothers of children with fragile X syndrome.
abstract: A mixed method approach was used to explore quality of life of 101 mothers of children with fragile X syndrome. Mothers completed a self-report of personal quality of life and measures of mental health and well-being. A subset was interviewed about quality of life. The distribution of scores on the Quality of Life Inventory was similar to the norms, indicating that these mothers do not, as a whole, report a lower quality of life than does the average woman. Significant predictors of quality of life were trait hope and parenting stress. The most common positive factor was being a mother. However, they also indicated that parenting a child with fragile X presented challenges and stressors, primarily when the social environment was not supportive.
authors.affiliation: FPG Child Development Institute, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-8180, USA. wheeler@mail.fpg.unc.edu
authors.forename: Anne C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Wheeler
authors.forename: Debra G
authors.initials: DG
authors.lastname: Skinner
authors.forename: Donald B
authors.initials: DB
authors.lastname: Bailey
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001294:Attitude to Health; D002648:Child; D019988:Children with Disabilities; D005600:Fragile X Syndrome; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009034:Mother-Child Relations; D009035:Mothers / Q000523:psychology*; D016487:Parenting; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology*; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000523:psychology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires