Exploring mental health outcomes for low-income mothers of children with special needs - Implications for policy and practice

Research has indicated that there is a heightened risk for the occurrence of childhood disabilities in single-parent-female-headed households that are living at or below the poverty line. Research also demonstrates increased levels of parenting stress and parenting depression among mothers who have children with special needs. However, very little is currently known about mental health outcomes among women who are poor and raising children with disabilities. To work effectively with these caregivers, human service professionals must utilize multifaceted approaches based on an ecological framework to address the multitude of challenges that these families face. This article draws upon ecological theory and a case study to examine the ways that having a child with special needs impacts women's emotional well-being and their ability to function in roles they deem appropriate for their children. The case study highlights current policies and the ways in which they may exacerbate caretakers' mental health issues. It also provides a framework to identify and demonstrate the ways in which an ecological approach is useful in looking outside the individual and the family to understand the processes through which other systems may interact with the family to affect maternal mental health. Finally, specific links are drawn to both policies and practice.