Self-perceived health in Swedish parents of children with Down's syndrome

In this comparative study, self-perceived health was investigated in 165 pa rents of 86 children with Down's syndrome (DS), using the Swedish version o f the SF-36 questionnaire. Questionnaires were mailed to parents of childre n with DS in a defined Swedish population. The results were compared with t hose in a randomised control group of parents from the Swedish SF-36 norm p opulation. Mothers and fathers replied separately. Student's t-test with th e Bonferroni correction was used for multiple statistical comparisons. The mothers of children with DS ('DS mothers') had significantly lower, less fa vourable scores than did the fathers of DS children ('DS fathers') in the V itality (p < 0.0005) domain. Further, DS mothers spent significantly more t ime in caring for their child with DS than did the DS fathers (p < 0.0001). DS mothers also had lower scores than the mothers of the control group in the Vitality (p < 0.001) and Mental Health (p < 0.001) domains. DS fathers and control fathers differed significantly in the Mental Health domain (p < 0.002), but not otherwise. In conclusion, DS mothers showed poorer health than their spouses and the control mothers. No differences similar to those found between the DS mothers and DS fathers were observed between control mothers and control fathers.