Enhancing support for the mental wellbeing of parents of children with a disability: Developing a resource based on the perspectives of parents and professionals

ABSTRACT

Background: Raising a child with a disability can place significant strain on the mental wellbeing of parents and carers. This study developed a mental wellbeing resource specifically for parents and carers of children and adolescents with a disability.

Methods: Interviews with 20 parents and carers and 13 health and disability service professionals were conducted to determine resource content and format.

Results: Key information areas for the resource were information about parent/carer wellbeing; understanding the barriers to wellbeing, including lack of support, being unable to ask for help, being isolated from the community, and having insufficient time or income to spend on self; suggestions on how to organise respite; and opportunities for increasing wellbeing.

Conclusions: Given parental mental health is key to the quality of life of the child and family, it is recommended that the resource is distributed to parents and professionals, and adapted for different cultural and linguistic backgrounds.

KEYWORDS:

• carers
• parents
• mental wellbeing
• disability
• resource

Acknowledgements

The authors thank all of the parents, health and disability professionals, and steering group members who shared their valuable time, experience, and expertise to develop this resource. We also thank Alana Pirrone-Savona who designed and formatted the resource.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs, Australia, under The Disability Care Practical Design Fund. The opinions, comments, and/or analysis expressed in this document are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the Australian Government and cannot be taken in any way as endorsement by the Australian Government or expressions of government policy. The principal author holds a postdoctoral fellowship with the NHMRC-funded Centre for Research Excellence in Cerebral Palsy. Elise Davis is supported by a Victorian Health Promotion Foundation Research Fellowship. Lara Corr and Elizabeth Waters are supported by the Jack Brockhoff Child Health and Wellbeing Program. Jane Fisher is supported by a Monash Professorial Fellowship and the Jean Hailes Professorial Fellowship. Helen Herrman is supported by a Practitioner Fellowship from Australia’s National Health and Medical Research Foundation.