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The role of coping in maintaining the psychological well‐being of mothers of adults with intellectual disability and mental illness
Author(s) -
Kim H. W.,
Greenberg J. S.,
Seltzer M. M.,
Krauss M. W.
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
journal of intellectual disability research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.941
H-Index - 104
eISSN - 1365-2788
pISSN - 0964-2633
DOI - 10.1046/j.1365-2788.2003.00493.x
Subject(s) - coping (psychology) , psychology , intellectual disability , distress , mental illness , psychological distress , clinical psychology , young adult , developmental psychology , longitudinal study , mental health , psychiatry , medicine , pathology
Background Mothers who have a child with intellectual disability (ID) or mental illness face a lifetime of caregiving responsibilities and challenges. The present study investigated changes over time in how mothers cope with the challenges of caring for an adult child with disabilities and the effects of changes in coping on maternal well‐being. Methods A sample of 246 ageing mothers of adults with ID and 74 mothers of adults with mental illness was drawn from two parallel longitudinal studies of later‐life caregiving. Results There was considerable variability at the individual level in the degree to which mothers changed over time in their use of problem‐focused and emotion‐focused coping strategies. For both groups, an increase in their use of emotion‐focused coping led to declining levels of well‐being. For the parents of adults with ID, an increase in their use of problem‐focused coping resulted in a reduction in distress and an improvement in the quality of the relationship with their adult child. For the parents of adults with mental illness, an increase in the use of problem‐focused coping had no effect on levels of distress, but led to an improved relationship with their adult child. Conclusions The present study underscores the importance of coping in the lives of older mothers of adults with disabilities.