Influence of Self Esteem, Family Function and Social Support on Wellness of Mothers of Children with Disabilities

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: Purpose of this study was to investigate factors influencing wellness, and provide basic data for development of intervention programs to improve wellness in mothers of children with disabilities. METHODS: Participants were 147 mothers of children with disabilities from an elementary school and kindergarten for children with disabilities located in J and C cities in G province. Data were collected from February 24 to April 24, 2015 using questionnaires. RESULTS: Mean scores were 3.24+/-0.38 of 5 for wellness, 2.40+/-0.41 of 4 for self-esteem, and 2.87+/-0.36 of 4 for family function. There were significant differences in wellness according to religion, education, and type of education program for the children. There were positive correlations between self-esteem, family function, social support, and wellness. Factors influencing wellness were selfesteem (beta =.450), family function (beta =.313), type of education program for the children (beta =.140), and religion (beta =.127). These factors explained 42.7% of the variance in wellness. CONCLUSION: Findings show that levels of wellness in these mothers are not sufficient to allow them to care for their children and to maintain their own overall health. Therefore to increase wellness of mothers of children with disabilities, intervention strategies that focus on improving self-esteem and family functioning need to be developed.