comparison between the mental health of mothers of exceptional children and mothers of normal children

ABSTRACT

The birth of a child is a pleasant process for parents, although it is associated with a lot of trouble and discomforties. Despite the difficulties, the hope of the child being normal and healthy usually creates a sense of confidence in them and they accept their child. However, as soon as they become aware of their child's disability, all their wishes and hopes turn into disappointment and then problems begin. The purpose of the present study was to find an answer the question of whether there is a difference between the mental health of mothers with exception to children and those with normal children. The sample of this study was selected randomly and consisted of 90 mothers of exceptional children [30 mentally disabled educable children, 30 blind and 30 deaf children], and 30 mothers of normal children, attending elementary schools in Ardebil. The instrument utilized was the 90-item SCL-90R and a causal comparative design was employed. Obtained revealed that on the whole, there is a significant difference between mothers of exceptional children and those of normal children [p<.05]. In addition, in terms of mental health, that is, depression, anxiety and psychoticism [p < .05], aggression [p<.001] and pathological fear [p < .001] significant differences exist. But in terms of somatizations, compulsions, reciprocal relationship sensitivity and paranoid ideation, no significant differences were obtained. Pair-wise comparisons showed that having a mentally disabled child affects the mental health of a mother more adversely than having a blind or a deaf child. The study revealed that the psychological well being of mothers of exceptional children is not as good as that of mothers of mentally normal but physically disabled children. Among the three groups of mothers studied, mothers of mentally disabled children enjoyed the lowest level of mental health