Predictors of parenting stress among Malaysian mothers of children with Down syndrome.
Mom’s depression and acceptance level predict her stress more than child behavior in Down syndrome families.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Jones et al. (2010) asked 147 Malaysian moms of kids with Down syndrome what stresses them most.
They used a survey to test three ideas: child behavior, mom’s mood, and mom’s acceptance of the diagnosis.
What they found
The moms’ own depression and low acceptance, not the child’s behavior, best predicted high parenting stress.
In plain words: when mom feels low, stress skyrockets, even if the child is calm.
How this fits with other research
Ferreri et al. (2011) extends the story. They looked at U.S. mothers of adults with Down syndrome and found the same group shows both higher life satisfaction and higher caregiving burden. The two studies line up: mom’s mind-set matters more than child age.
Lotfizadeh et al. (2020) conceptually replicates the model in toddlers flagged for ASD. Again, parent factors (not just child symptoms) drive stress, showing the pattern crosses diagnoses.
Diaz (2020) widens the lens: moms of kids with Down syndrome are 50 % more likely to be physically inactive. Stress today can become health problems tomorrow, so screen early.
Why it matters
If you serve families of children with Down syndrome, start by asking mom how she is feeling. A quick depression or acceptance screen takes five minutes and can guide you to refer for counseling, peer support, or respite before behavior plans. Treating mom’s mood may lower stress faster than targeting child behaviors alone.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
BACKGROUND: Having children with intellectual disability can be stressful for most parents. Currently there are very few studies focusing on parenting stress among mothers of children with Down syndrome (DS) in Asia. The present study examined the level of parenting stress experienced by Malaysian mothers of children with DS and evaluated the child and maternal factors that contributed to parenting stress based on Hill's ABC-X Model (Hill 1949). METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional study of mothers of children with DS between the ages of 2-12 years during February-June 2008 in Kedah, a state in Peninsular Malaysia. We used self-administered questionnaires to gather data on parenting stress, child's birth history and current behavioural problems, as well as the maternal sociodemographic characteristics, coping styles and psychological well-being. Parental Stress Scale (PSS) was used to assess parenting stress. Measures of child's behavioural problem using Pediatric Symptom Checklist, mother's coping style using Carver et al. (1989) COPE inventory and their psychological well-being using Lovibond and Lovibond (1995) DASS21, a scale assessing depression, anxiety and stress were also carried out. RESULTS: The 147 mothers who participated in the study had an average age of 43.1 years (SD = 7.6 years), of whom 94.6% were married, 57.1% had secondary level education and 28.6% were working outside their home. Based on PSS, mean parenting stress was 37.6 (SD = 8.1). Parenting stress was significantly higher among mothers who reported having children with behavioural problems. However, parenting stress was modified by positive coping styles and negative maternal psychological well-being. The final model based on hierarchical regression analysis identified maternal depression and lack of acceptance as significant predictors of parenting stress rather than child's behavioural problems. CONCLUSION: Mean parenting stress among mothers of children with DS significantly differed by behavioural problems in their children. Parenting stress is also significantly correlated with frequent use of acceptance, religious and optimist coping styles, and presence of maternal depressive, anxiety and stress symptoms. However, hierarchical regression analysis identified maternal depression and lack of acceptance of having a child with DS as the most significant predictors of parenting stress in these mothers.
Journal of intellectual disability research : JIDR, 2010 · doi:10.1111/j.1365-2788.2010.01324.x