71 Assessing Psychological Well-Being in Mothers of Children with Disability: Predicting Depressive Symptoms, Parenting Stress, Resiliency, and Family Functioning

Abstract

Background/aims: In family-centred children's services, it is critical to understand how mothers are responding to the challenges that childhood disability brings to the family. Some mothers will meet these challenges with resiliency and adequate coping; others will need more support and assistance from professionals to care for their child. Currently, there are no brief, psychometrically-sound measures of psychological well-being for use during intake to childhood disability services. The aim of this study was to evaluate two new measures designed to assess the need for psychological support in mothers of children with disability. Methods: Canadian mothers (N = 195) of children with serious health and developmental disabilities completed the Parenting Morale Index (PMI) and Family Impact of Childhood Disability (FICD) scale, and validation measures via computer-assisted telephone-interview. Of these, 154 completed additional validation measures 1 year later. Results: Confirmatory factor analysis supported the factor structure of the PMI and FICD. The PMI and FICD demonstrated strong internal consistency and temporal stability, as well as convergent and discriminant validity. After 1 year, the PMI and FICD jointly predicted maternal depressive symptoms, parenting stress, family resiliency, and family adjustment, with adjusted R2s of.30,.36,.29, and.22, respectively. Conclusion: Together, these brief measures appear to capture unique, but important aspects of maternal psychological well-being, and adaptive coping in the care of their child with disability. Within the Process Model of Stress and Coping, the PMI and FICD can be recommended to complement clinical interviews at intake to childhood disability services.