Stress trajectories in mothers of young children with Down syndrome

Abstract

Background In this study, we investigated the early development of stress in mothers of children with Down syndrome, compared with mothers of children with developmental disabilities of mixed aetiologies. Growth modelling analyses were used to explore: (1) whether mothers of children with Down syndrome demonstrated distinct patterns of stress during their children’s early development, compared with mothers of children with other developmental disabilities; and (2) whether there was a relation between child behavioural characteristics and the level and rate of change in stress observed in each population. Method The stress trajectories of mothers of young children with Down syndrome (n = 25) and a mixed‐aetiology comparison group (n = 49) were estimated, using growth modelling on data collected at ages of 15, 30 and 45 months. Results On average, stress in the mixed comparison group was higher at Time 1 and remained unchanged over time, while stress in the Down syndrome group was lower at Time 1 but increased steadily. After taking diagnostic group membership into account, more advanced cognitive‐linguistic functioning and lower levels of maladaptive behaviours at all time points were associated with lower levels of maternal stress. Conclusions These findings suggest that the cognitive‐linguistic and behavioural trajectory observed in early development in Down syndrome may contribute to the changes in maternal stress levels observed throughout these early years. Implications for developing targeted and time‐ sensitive family interventions for families of children with Down syndrome are discussed.