title: The Causal Factors Associated with the Loving Care of the Mothers of Children with Multiple Disabilities.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Families with disabled children need more psycho-social considerations. Motherhood care of the children with multiple disabilities is difficult. Due to its importance, the aim of this study was to investigate the causal factors affecting loving care of mothers of children with multiple disabilities.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study used a cross-sectional method in which 75 mothers of exceptional children with multiple disabilities (physical and mental) in elementary schools in Shiraz, Iran. The data were collected through questionnaires which, besides demographical factors, evaluated the relationship between mothers' loving care of children with multiple disabilities and four other variables including purpose in life, life satisfaction, religious attitude, and sense of coherence. Mann-Whitney U was used for comparison between mothers' loving care and other variables.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Results revealed that demographic variables did not have a significant relationship with loving care. In the case of social variables, there was a significant relationship between mothers' loving care and purpose in life (P<0.001), religious attitude (P<0.001), and life satisfaction (P=0.01).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Motherhood care of disabled children is a unique phenomenon which is due to attachment of mother-child situation. Nevertheless, these mothers are vulnerable and marginalized people who need more attention and social supports provided by related governmental institutions and also NGOs actors.
authors.affiliation: Department of Sociology, Yazd University, Yazd Iran ; Health Policy Research Center, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran.
authors.forename: Ahmad Kalateh
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Sadati
authors.affiliation: Health Policy Research Center, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran.
authors.forename: Hamze
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Salehzade
authors.affiliation: Department General of Fars Province Education, Shiraz, Iran.
authors.forename: Soroor
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hemmati
authors.affiliation: School of Health, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran.
authors.forename: Manijeh
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Darvish
authors.affiliation: Health Policy Research Center, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran.
authors.forename: Seyed Taghi
authors.initials: ST
authors.lastname: Heydari
authors.affiliation: Health Policy Research Center, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran.
authors.forename: Reza
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Tabrizi
keywords: Attachment theory; Disabled persons; Health care; Mother-child relation