Maternal Stress and Health Quality of Life in Mothers with Special Needs Children: Four-Track Social Policy Recommendations Led by Social Work

Abstract

Objective: Mothers of special needs children in Pakistan, and across the world, are marginalized populations facing combined challenges of social shame and policy neglect. This study aims to (i) investigate the prevalence of and relationship between maternal stress, social support, and health quality of life in mothers with special needs children and (ii) identify the moderating effects of social support on maternal stress and health quality of life. Methods: A total of 103 mothers of special needs children attending government special needs schools in Pakistan have been sampled from the cities of Gujranwala and Lahore, the fifth and second largest cities of the country. A cross-sectional survey has been used for data collection, compiled from three standardized international tools: The World Health Organization Quality of Life; The Family Crisis Oriented Personal Evaluation Scales; and the Parental Stress Scale. Special needs children have been used to perform hierarchal multiple regression. Results: Mothers of special needs children in the country face high levels of stress, receive low levels of social support, and perceive unsatisfactory health quality of life. Social support predicted health quality of life (β=0.286, p <.01) and was a moderator for the relationship between maternal stress and health quality of life (ΔR2=0.003, ΔF=1.463, p < .05). Conclusion: Policy development and interventions are needed through a four-track approach including reformation in cultural values to improve social support; state provision for financial relief; opportunities for education and employment for special needs children; and improvement in healthcare service quality.