Mental health outcomes among parents of a child who has a developmental disability: Comparing different types of developmental disability

Background: There is very little information on the effects of different types of developmental disability on the mental health of parents of children who have a DD.

Objective: This paper compared the mental health of parents of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Down syndrome, Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) and other types of DD.

Methods: A cross-sectional design was used to examine population-level administrative health data for mental health outcomes in cohorts of fathers and mothers of children with four different types of a DD. As well as type of DD, additional variables were examined, these included: sex of the parent, age of the parent at birth of the child with the DD, income, sex of the child with the DD, number of children in the family and place of residence.

Results: For both fathers and mothers odds of a diagnosis of depression or another mental health problem were associated with type of DD. Parents of children with FAS experienced the greatest odds of a depression or other mental health diagnosis. Odds of a diagnosis for fathers were associated with low income. Odds of a diagnosis for mothers were associated with the sex of the child with the DD.

Conclusions: These findings are important for understanding families which include a child with a DD, as a guide for future research, and for developing effective programs and services for these parents.