LIFE SATISFACTION AND ACTIVITY PREFERENCES IN PARENTS OF DOWNS-SYNDROME CHILDREN

The impact of parenting a child with Down's syndrome on life satisfact ion and non-work activities was investigated in 37 couples using maile d checklists. The results were compared with those found in all 89 par ents from a randomly selected population. Only for 7 of the 41 non-wor k activities were there differences between the two groups of parents. The vast majority of both groups were satisfied or very satisfied wit h life as a whole and with partnership relations, sexual life and fami ly life. The 8 domains of life satisfaction formed 3 factors. In congr uence with previous findings in a non-selected sample these factors we re significant classifiers for satifaction with life as a whole, an ex pressive (emotion related) factor being the major classifier. The clos e similarities in non-work activities and life satisfaction are interp reted as a result of adequate adaptive resources within the majority o f families of children with Down's syndrome.