A study has revealed that parents who are caring for a medically complex child are more likely to suffer from mental health issues. Motherhood is hard for everyone, and every mother has periods of struggle that she has to overcome. While it should never be considered a competition, there are mothers out there who may have more of an “intense” journey than others. Mothers who have children who are medically complex are facing challenges that not all mothers are, and these can have impacts on their mental and physical health.
According to Medical Xpress, mothers who are caring for children who are considered medically complex are more likely to struggle with their mental health, than mothers who do not have medically complex children. The study was completed by the University of Rochester Medical Center and Golisano Children’s Hospital and can be read in full here.
To complete the study, the team of researchers looked at three different types of households. They looked at households that had children with medical complexity, households of noncomplex children with special health care needs, and households with children who did not have any special needs or medical complexities.
Medically complex children have multiple chronic health conditions and disabilities and they frequently use health care services. These families face significant challenges in making sure their child is cared for and completing other family responsibilities. It can be tough for them to navigate while dealing with the anxiety and worry that comes with having a child with medical needs.
The study found that parents of medically complex children reported mental health struggles five times more than parents who had “normal” children. It also found that 36% of parents did not know where to go for help in their community when they had problems.
This study shows that there needs to be more awareness and areas of support for families in communities. Parents of children who were not medically complex did not have the same problem; they knew where they could go in their community to receive help if they were struggling with something.
The research team stated that medical professionals know that they need to care for the child and provide them assistance, but that they also need to take the parents into account and make sure they are getting what they need.
Peer support groups can be incredibly helpful for parents of children who are medically complex, a place where they can go and be around other parents going through similar struggles, and medical professionals need to make sure they can access them in their area.
Sources: Medical Xpress, AAP Pediatrics