FAMILY SUPPORT, COPING STRATEGIES AND MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES AMONG MOTHERS WITH DOWN SYNDROME CHILDREN

Abstract

Background: Down syndrome is perhaps the most widely recognized hereditary problem. In this chromosomal issue a person has either a halfway or full extra copy of chromosome 21. mothers as the main caregivers who suffer most from emotional overload and stress. Family support and coping strategies are the resources that can help mothers to cope with their stressful life.

Objective: To find out the relationship among family support, coping strategies and mental health issues among mothers with Down syndrome children.

Methodology: A correlation study design along with purposive sampling technique was employed on sample size of 130 participants to find out the relationship among study variables. MPSS (Zimet et al., 1998), CSI (Tobin et al., 1985), DASS (Lovibond & Lovibond, 1995) was used to collect data.

Results: The results of this study revealed family support has significant positive correlated with emotional focus engagement coping strategy while significant negative correlated with emotional focus disengagement coping strategy and mental health issues among mothers with Down syndrome children. Problem focused engagement has significant negative correlation with mental health issues among mothers with down syndrome children while emotion focused disengagement has significant positive correlation with mental health issues among mothers with down syndrome children.

Conclusion: It was concluded that if mothers will get family support, they will be more involved in emotion focused engagement and problem focused engagement coping that will decrease their mental health issues and if they will use emotion focused disengagement and problem focused disengagement coping their mental health issues will increase.