Parents of children with developmental disabilities report poorer physical health

Background: Older caregivers of patients with mental heath difficulties report poor physical health. This study examined whether younger parental caregivers of children with developmental disabilities would also report poor physical health. Methods: A cross-sectional between subjects design was used. Thirty-eight parents of children with developmental disabilities and 34 parents of typically developing children completed standard measures of perceived stress, social support, mastery and child problem behaviours. Results: ANOVA revealed that caregivers reported more physical health problems than controls (Mean = 52.5 + 12.24 vs 43.1 + 13.35; F (1, 70) = 9.62, p < .05). ANCOVA indicated that this appeared to be partly mediated by mastery and child problem behaviours. Conclusion: The negative impact of caregiving on self-report physical health is also evident in younger parents of children with developmental disabilities. The coping style of parents and the behavioural characteristics of the care recipients may be a key consideration in whether physical health is compromised in this context.