The developmental health of children of parents with intellectual disabilities: cross sectional study.
In a representative population-based sample of 46,025 families caring for a young child, parental intellectual disability (identified in 588 families) was associated with increased risk of child developmental delay, child speech and language problems, child behaviour problems and frequent child accidents and injuries. Parental intellectual disability was also associated with increased risk of exposure to a wide range of environmental adversities such as poverty, poor housing and social isolation. Adjusting for between-group differences in exposure to low socio-economic position reduced the risk of adverse child outcomes by over 50% on each of the four measures of child developmental health. In the final fully adjusted model parental intellectual disability was associated with increased risk of child developmental delay and child speech and language problems. However, there were no significant associations between parental intellectual disability and child behaviour problems or frequent accidents and injuries.
Centre for Disability Research and Policy, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2141, Australia. Electronic address: eric.emerson@lancaster.ac.uk.
Eric
E
Emerson
Public Health, Cornwall Council, NHS England, Peninsula House, Kingsmill Road, Saltash PL12 6LE, UK. Electronic address: philip.brigham@cornwall.nhs.uk.
Philip
P
Brigham
D002657:Child Development; D016241:Child of Impaired Parents / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D002658:Developmental Disabilities / Q000453:epidemiology*; D004739:England; D006798:Housing / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D008607:Intellectual Disability; D007805:Language Development Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology*; D016015:Logistic Models; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D011203:Poverty / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012307:Risk Factors; D012934:Social Isolation / Q000523:psychology; D013064:Speech Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology*
Child wellbeing; Parents with intellectual disability