Taking care of the children with Down's syndrome is a painful burden on their mothers

Abstract

Down's syndrome is one of the genetic abnormalities that can cause different degrees of mental retardation from moderate to severe in children [1]. The incidence of this disorder in the world is one person in every 700 to 800 live births, although this number has increased in recent years [2]. Usually, the children with Down's syndrome are at risk of chronic physical diseases and growth, development, behavioral, and emotional problems. Therefore, children with Down's syndrome are considered as a group of children with special needs who need more care than normal children [3]. The presence of chronic diseases such as congenital heart defects, hypothyroidism, and immune disorders can affect many aspects of the life of caregivers of children with Down's syndrome, leading to fatigue, isolation, burden, and stress [4]. The needs of the family of children with Down's syndrome are significantly higher because the family must be more involved in child care due to developmental delays, limitations in daily life activities related to self-care such as dressing, personal hygiene [5].