Anxiety and Depression among Parents of Children with Intellectual Disability in Pakistan.
BACKGROUND
Studies have shown an association between parental distress and caretaking of children with developmental cognitive delays. There is little data in developing countries, such as Pakistan, concerning the impact of raising children with intellectual disability upon the quality of parent functioning and risk for psychopathology.


OBJECTIVE
To assess the level of psychopathology i.e. anxiety, depression and both anxiety and depression together among parents of children with intellectual disability (ID).


METHODS
This was a cross-sectional study conducted at a tertiary care hospital in Pakistan. The study was approved by the Institutional Research Committee. Participants were 198 parents (99 fathers/99 mothers) of 100 children with the diagnosis of ID. Informed consents were obtained. The parents were assessed for anxiety and depression using DSM IV criteria.


RESULTS
Significantly high proportion of mothers (89%) had anxiety, depression, or both anxiety and depression together as compared to fathers (77%) (p-value <0.05). Among mothers, 35% met criteria for anxiety, 40% for depression and 13% for both anxiety and depression. Among fathers 42% had anxiety, 31% depression and 3% both anxiety and depression. There was a significant association between gender of parent and individual psychiatric diagnosis of anxiety, depression and anxiety and depression together (p-value <0.05). A significant association was also found between mother's anxiety, depression or both and degree of ID of their children (p-value <0.05).


CONCLUSIONS
1) Significantly high proportion of parents of children with ID has psychiatric diagnosis of anxiety, depression or both; 2) the psychiatric diagnosis of anxiety, depression and anxiety and depression together is associated with gender of parent; and, 3) the diagnosis of anxiety, depression or both in mothers was associated with severity of ID in their children.
Albert J. Solnit Children's Center, Middletown, Connecticut, USA.
Muhammad Waqar
MW
Azeem
Imtiaz Ahmad
IA
Dogar
Snehal
S
Shah
Mohsin Ali
MA
Cheema
Alia
A
Asmat
Madeeha
M
Akbar
Sumira
S
Kousar
Imran Ijaz
II
Haider
anxiety; depression; intellectual disability; parents