Changes in Occupational Roles and Common Mental Disorders in Mothers of Children With Congenital Zika Syndrome

Importance: The functional limitations and long-term dependence of children with congenital Zika syndrome (CZS) may lead to changes in maternal occupational roles, which can have a negative impact on mothers' well-being and mental health.

Objective: To investigate changes in occupational roles and their effects on the mental health of mothers who have a child with CZS.

Design: Cross-sectional study.

Setting: Rehabilitation centers of the Brazilian Unified Health System in Alagoas, Northeast Brazil.

Participants: Forty mothers of children with CZS.

Outcomes and measures: The Role Checklist and the Self-Reporting Questionnaire-20 were used to assess the mothers' involvement in occupational roles and common mental disorders (CMDs), respectively. The relationship between changes in occupational roles and CMDs was analyzed using a logistic regression model.

Results: Our study showed that loss of paid work (p = .026) is associated with poor mental health of mothers of children with CZS.

Conclusions and relevance: Strengthening public policies to reduce the economic impact of CZS on families, offering multidisciplinary counseling, and implementing psychoeducational strategies for promoting maternal psychological adjustment are needed.

What this article adds: The time and money spent by mothers in daily care activities for children with CZS contribute to a reduction in family income and social well-being and have a negative impact on mothers' mental health.