Psychological well‐being of fathers with and without a child with intellectual disability: a population‐based study.

Abstract

Background Few studies have explored the wellbeing of fathers of children with intellectual disability (ID), despite the significant role that they play in their children's lives. The current study compared fathers of children with and without a child with ID on measures of psychological well-being (life satisfaction, work-family balance and general health) and dimensions of parenting (parenting self-efficacy and parent-child closeness) and then examined whether the presence of a child with ID in the family was a significant predictor of paternal well-being when controlling for a number of father (age, education, employment and residency), child (ID status, gender, behavioural and emotional problems) and family (income poverty and number of children in the household) variables. Methods Data were drawn from the third wave of the Millennium Cohort Study, a UK population-representative and cohort study, where the cohort child was 5 years of age; 256 fathers were identified as having a child with ID, with data available for 10 187 fathers without a child with ID. Fathers were compared on the four well-being and parenting outcomes and then multiple regression models were conducted to explore associations between these outcomes and variables identified as potential correlates of well-being. Results Initial group comparisons showed that there were differences in the well-being of fathers, with fathers of children with ID reporting poorer life satisfaction and general health. However, these differences were small. Regression analyses showed that child behavioural and emotional problems, living in income poverty and paternal employment were more important than disability status in predicting fathers' well-being. Conclusions These works add to the limited amount of research on fathers using population-representative data. The current findings are consistent with rejecting a general simplistic and negative narrative that raising a child with ID puts fathers at risk of poorer outcomes. However, some fathers, such as those with children with behavioural problems and living in poverty, may require greater support. Future longitudinal research that explores the impact of paternal well-being on the long-term outcomes of children with and without ID is warranted. • Psychological well-being of fathers ID, intellectual disability; SD, standard deviation; SE, standard error *P < 0.05.

Association of child's disability status with father's health outcomes in Japan

“…We found a significantly higher odds ratio of psychological distress and poor subjective health status among fathers of disabled compared to non-disabled children. These results are similar to a study from the UK, which finds a significant difference in general health among fathers of children with and without disabilities ( Langley et al, 2020 ). A systematic review of 20 studies of Western countries examining the mental health of fathers of children with intellectual disabilities concluded that fathers of children with disabilities are more likely to exhibit poor mental health compared to fathers in the general population ( Dunn et al, 2019 ).…”

“…Identifying and addressing poor health outcomes at an early stage among fathers is important as delay in treatment might lead to poor outcomes in both them and their children ( Yogman & Garfield, 2016 ). Fathers' well-being has often been compared with that of mothers, with relatively few studies comparing psychological well-being between fathers of children with and without disability ( Boyraz & Sayger, 2011 ; Langley et al, 2020 ). Comparison with the general child-rearing situation is important in understanding the impact of a children's disability on a fathers' health.…”

COVID‐19 impact on psychological outcomes of parents, siblings and children with intellectual disability: longitudinal before and during lockdown design

“…'lockdown'). Family socio-economic position is a key explanatory variable in driving some of the observed group differences in mental health outcomes between families of children with and without ID; for children with ID themselves (Emerson and Hatton 2007), and for their mothers (Emerson 2003), fathers (Langley et al 2020) and siblings (Hayden et al 2019). Second, there may be negative life events associated with the pandemic (e.g.…”

Parenting Sense of Competence in Parents of Children with and without Intellectual Disability

“…Studies also consistently show elevated levels of stress in parents of children with intellectual disability ( Arakkathara & Bance, 2019 ; MacInnes & Fraser, 2009 ; Masulani-Mwale, Kauye, Gladstone, & Mathanga, 2018 ; Phillips, Conners, & Curtner-Smith, 2017 ; Tsermentseli & Kouklari, 2019 ), both mothers ( Leung, 2019 ) and fathers ( Marsh, Brown, & Mccann, 2020 ), although those levels are related solely to the child’s disability but also other factors, both internal (such as parents’ coping) end external (such as social support), as well as the child’s internalizing and externalizing problems ( Barak-Levy & Atzaba-Poria, 2020 ; Hassall, Rose, & McDonald, 2005 ; Leung, 2019 ). Higher levels of stress in parents of children with intellectual disability put a significant strain on parents, increase the risk of mental health problems, marital problems and can impair parents’ ability to positively affect the child’s behavior, as well as decrease wellbeing and overall quality of family life ( Arakkathara & Bance, 2019 ; Azeem et al, 2013 ; Barak-Levy & Atzaba-Poria, 2020 ; Langley, Totsika, & Hastings, 2020 ).…”