Health of mothers of school-age children with disabilities

Abstract

Objective: To investigate the self-reported health status of mothers of school-age children with disabilities. Method: Seventy-four mothers in the Northern Metropolitan and Eastern Sydney regions completed the MOS 36-item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36). The survey was readministered 11 to 15 months later and completed by sixty-two mothers. Results: On average, the mothers reported significantly poorer mental health by comparison with population norms for women in New South Wales and for mothers with partners Australia wide. Conclusions: In the absence of population data, the results of this study substantiate the findings of earlier studies based on clinical assessment and small group comparison designs.