Health-Related Quality of Life of Mothers of Children With Intellectual Disability

Objectives: Disability occurs as a sudden and unexpected incident, and coping with it depends on the conditions and lifestyle, the remaining abilities, cooperation of other family members, and the role of rehabilitation team. Rehabilitation work includes medical, professional and social rehabilitation teams. The family is also defined as an essential member of the social rehabilitation team. The present study aimed to assess the quality of life of mothers of children with intellectual disabilities, as an important member of the social rehabilitation team. Methods: In this analytical and descriptive study, statistical population consisted of all Mothers of Mentally Retarded Children (MMRC) (educable, trainable and isolated), and Mothers of Children with Normal Intelligence (MCNI) in Shahr-e-Kord City, Iran. Total sample size was considered to be 306. For gathering data, the 36-Item Short Form Health Survey instrument, validated in Iran, and for analyzing the data 1-way ANOVA, linear regression and discriminant analysis were used. Results: In terms of all quality of life dimensions and total score, there was a significant difference between the two groups (P