Objective: To compare parenting stress among Malaysian mothers of children
with mental retardation and a control group, and to determine factors assoc
iated with stress.
Methodology: Seventy-five mothers of children with mental retardation aged
4-12 years and 75 controls (those without disabilities who attended the wal
k-in paediatric clinic) participated in the Parenting Stress Index (PSI). I
ntelligence quotient (IQ) and Child Behaviour Checklist (CBCL) scores, toge
ther with sociodemographic data, were entered into a multiple stepwise regr
ession analysis, using the PSI as the criterion.
Results: Mothers of children with mental retardation scored significantly h
igher than control subjects in both the child-related domain (difference be
tween means 26.1, 95% confidence interval 19.6-32.5) and parent-related dom
ain (difference between means 15.0, 95% confidence interval 7.9-22.1) of th
e PSI. The total child behaviour scores from the CBCL (P < 0.01), IQ scores
(P < 0.01) and sibship size (P < 0.01) were associated with child-related
domain scores. For the parent-related domain, CBCL (P < 0.01) and IQ scores
(P = 0.01) remained important factors but Chinese ethnicity (P < 0.01) and
maternal unemployment (P < 0.01) were also significant predictors of stres
s.
Conclusion: A large proportion of mothers of children with mental retardati
on experienced substantial parenting stress, especially Chinese and unemplo
yed mothers, and this warrants appropriate intervention.