Maternal and child factors associated with the health-promoting behaviours of mothers of children with a developmental disability.
Mom’s depression is the single biggest brake on her own health habits; treat her mental health first.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Higgins et al. (2021) asked 81 moms of kids with developmental disabilities to fill out a survey. The team wanted to know which mom and child traits best predict how often moms do health-promoting things like exercise, eat well, and get rest.
What they found
Better maternal mental health came out on top. Moms with fewer depressive symptoms reported more health-promoting habits. No other mom or child trait beat depression as the key blocker.
How this fits with other research
Bourke-Taylor et al. (2012) found mom empowerment and her own healthy activities boost mental health. Higgins et al. (2021) flip the lens: once depression is high, those healthy acts drop off first.
Chu et al. (2009) showed child sleep problems erode moms’ sleep and mood. Higgins et al. (2021) add that the moms’ low mood then cuts their own health habits, creating a downward loop.
Cantwell et al. (2014) showed mastery and social support shield caregiver health. Higgins et al. (2021) agree: depression is the leak in that shield; plug it and health actions return.
Why it matters
Before you write more parent-training goals, screen Mom for depression. A quick mood check and a referral may do more for family health than extra child goals. If Mom feels better, she has the energy to cook, walk, and sleep—basics that keep the whole house afloat.
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Add a two-question depression screen to your parent intake and link scores to local counseling or support groups before setting parent self-care goals.
02At a glance
03Original abstract
BACKGROUND/AIM: Mothers caring for their child or adult with a developmental disability can experience mental health disparity. Protective factors such as healthy behaviours are under-researched. This study investigated relationships between mental health, healthy behaviours, and disability factors. METHODS: The cross-sectional online survey included: Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS); Family Empowerment Scale (FES); Health Promoting Activities Scale (HPAS); and a measure of childhood quality of life (QoL). RESULTS: All mothers were raising offspring (aged 3-36 years) with a developmental disability. Fifty-two percent of mothers (N = 81) had a mental health diagnosis. DASS scores were elevated for depression (58 %), anxiety (52 %) and stress (68 %). Mothers participated in health promoting activities infrequently and reported low satisfaction with community health-supporting facilities. Depressive symptoms, maternal empowerment and two indicators of child-related QoL explained 29.7 % of the variance in healthy behaviours. Depressive symptoms were the most important predictor of lack of health promoting behaviours. CONCLUSIONS: Better mental health predicted more frequent participation in health promoting behaviour. Future research might explore the extent to which health promoting behaviours protect mental health. Service changes including family health focused services, and custom designed health promotion or coaching programs may improve the health behaviours of mothers with high care responsibilities.
Research in developmental disabilities, 2021 · doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2021.104069