Maternal impacts of a physically disabled baby birth: A comparative study

Abstract

Objective This study aims to assess the emotional impacts of the baby’s physical disability on the mother. Method It is an exploratory investigation carried on with two mother-infant dyads, only one of which gave birth to a physically disabled baby, both participating in a larger case-control investigation. The tools used included the Beck Anxiety and Depression Inventories, the Parental Reflective Functioning Questionnaire, the Ages and Stages Questionnaire as well as semi-structured interviews. Results Both mothers showed similar reports and parenting levels, but the one whose baby had a disability scored higher on anxiety and depression, in connection with the baby’s low level of development. Conclusion It is concluded that, in order to achieve the same levels of a typical parenting condition, greater adaptation mechanisms are required.