title: Well-being of mid- and later-life mothers of children with developmental disabilities.
abstract: This study examined the well-being of mid- and later-life mothers of developmentally disabled (DD) children. Mothers of DD children (n = 33) and mothers in a comparison group (n = 27) responded to a series of quantitative measures of well-being and open-ended questions. In general, quantitative results indicated lower levels of well-being for mothers of DD children. However, we examined these results within the contexts of educational and financial realities and access to adequate social support. Analysis of the qualitative data resulted in the themes of enhancements to well-being, challenges to well-being and normative experiences of being a parent. Results point to the need to further understand reciprocity in the mother-child relationships and the influence of severity of the developmental disability on mother's well-being.
authors.affiliation: Department of Family and Nutritional Science, University of Prince Edward Island (UPEI), Charlottetown, PE, Canada. lweeks@upei.ca
authors.forename: Lori E
authors.initials: LE
authors.lastname: Weeks
authors.forename: Olive
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Bryanton
authors.forename: Albert
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kozma
authors.forename: Thomy
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nilsson
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D000739:Anecdotes as Topic; D002170:Canada; D002648:Child; D002658:Developmental Disabilities / Q000523:psychology*; D019988:Children with Disabilities / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008425:Maternal Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D009034:Mother-Child Relations; D009035:Mothers / Q000523:psychology*; D012944:Social Support; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000517:prevention & control; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires