Abstract:
Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the quality of life and related factors in mothers of
children with Down syndrome.
Methods: The study method was correlation-survey (sectional). Sampling was based on the
available population. The research population consisted of all mothers of children with Down
syndrome referred to the Down Syndrome Center: out of them 70 mothers of children with Down
syndrome were randomly selected for study sample. Research tools were the WHO “quality of
life” questionnaire, as well as a demographic and background information questionnaire. Data
were analyzed using SPSS-16 software and ANOVA, multiple regression analysis and t-test.
Results: The results showed a significant association of physical health and environmental
health with the housing type (P<0.05). So that mothers living in private houses have higher
physical and environmental health than those who live in rental houses. But, There were no
significant relationship between the independent variables and the other subscales and total
score of “quality of life” (P>0.05).
Conclusion: People’s negative attitude toward some disabilities and limitations, society’s little
information, inappropriate cultural, social, and economic conditions, and insufficient available
resources can be the most important factors affecting the quality of life. It is recommended that
the relevant organizations provide services and conditions for mothers of children with Down
syndrome in order to improve their quality of life and health.
Machine summary:
Evaluation of Quality of Life in Mothers of Children with Down Syndrome Saeid Abbasi1, Firoozeh Sajedi1*, Sahel Hemmati1, Tahereh Najafi Fard1, Mohammad Javad Azadchehr1, Abolfazl Poursadoghi1 1.
Quality of life involves indicators such as good health, proper housing, employment, personal and family security, education and recreation, mental health, physical health, proper family life, proper social life, job security, and freedom (Sadeghi, Alipour, Abedi, & Ghasmi, 2013).
Quality of life is a broad concept that includes notions such as physical health, psychological state, level of independence, quality of social relationships (Bayatiani, Pourmohammadreza Tajrishi, Gangalivand, Mirzamani, & Salehi, 2011) and relation to important en- * Corresponding Author: Firoozeh Sajedi, MD Address: Pediatric Neurorehabilitation Research Center, University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Simultaneously, it can affect the quality of life dimensions such as the parents-children relationship, re- lationship with peers, career relationships, personal tran- sition, and environmental structure (Ahmadi, Khankeh, Rahgozar, Teymouri, & Sheikhona, 2013).
Levels of im- pairment in "quality of life" for these families depend on children’s chronic conditions and also economic, social, and community support conditions, child’s characteris- tics, parents’ personalities, and their coping strategies (Mugno, Ruta, D’Arrigo, & Mazzone, 2007).
(Hagh Ranjbar, Kakavand, Borjali, & Barmas, 2011) in a research evalu- ated the resiliency and quality of life of mothers of chil- dren with intellectual disability.
In a study (Oliveira & Limongi, 2011) on parents and caregivers of children with Down syndrome, the same instrument was used, but they that mothers had good quality of life (84%), and were satisfied with the mental health (55%).