Interaction of child disability and stressful life events in predicting maternal psychological health. Results of an area-based study of very preterm infants at two years corrected age.
Among very preterm toddlers, severe disability triples moms’ risk of clinical psychological distress—screen moms at 2-year follow-ups.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Cacciani et al. (2013) followed very preterm toddlers until age two. They asked if severe disability raised moms’ risk of clinical distress.
They also tested whether extra life stressors changed that risk.
What they found
Severe disability tripled the odds that moms scored in the clinical distress range. Extra stressors weakened that link, but moms still felt worse overall.
How this fits with other research
Lee (2013) sums 28 studies: moms of kids with developmental delays face chronic stress, poor sleep, and low mood. Laura’s finding adds a clear number—three-fold risk—at the two-year mark.
Emerson et al. (2010) looked at the same age group and saw poverty, not delay itself, driving moms’ psychiatric risk. Laura shows extra stressors dilute the disability effect, echoing the idea that outside hardships matter.
Gallagher et al. (2014) found child behavior problems, not the disability label, doubled moms’ depression odds. Laura’s severe-disability signal likely captures those same tough behaviors.
Why it matters
You already watch preterm toddlers for motor and language delays. Add a quick maternal-distress screen at the two-year visit. A high score earns a warm hand-off to social work or counseling before stress piles higher.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
This study aimed at exploring the relationship between severe neuromotor and/or sensory disability in very preterm infants assessed at 2 years corrected age and their mothers' psychological health. Data on 581 Italian singletons born at 22-31 weeks of gestation in five Italian regions and their mothers were analyzed. Maternal psychological distress was measured through the General Health Questionnaire short version (GHQ-12). The prevalence of any maternal distress (GHQ scores ≥ 2) and of clinical distress (scores ≥ 5) were 31.3% and 8.1% respectively. At multivariable analysis, we found a statistically significant association between child's disability and mothers' GHQ scoring ≥ 5 (OR 3.45, 95% CI 1.07-11.15). Also lower maternal education appeared to increase the likelihood of psychological distress (OR 1.38, 95% CI 1.14-1.66). The impact of child disability was weaker in women who had experienced additional stressful life events since delivery, pointing to the existence of a "ceiling" effect. Maternal psychological assessment and support should be included in follow-up programs targeting very preterm infants.
Research in developmental disabilities, 2013 · doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2013.07.018