Intervention for Depression Among Young Mothers With Disabled Children

¶ … Depression for Young Mothers Depression has emerged as one of the most common psychiatric disorders among mothers with disabled children. Actually, this condition is regarded as the second most incapacitating condition among psychological disorders that affect young mothers of disabled children. As a result several studies have been carried out to examine the various issues relating to this trend.

An example of a quantitative study conducted on this issue is the study by Venetike Merkaj, Migena Kika and Artan Simaku on the symptoms of depression, stress and anxiety among parents of autistic children. The objective of the research was to compare these symptoms between parents of children with disability and those whose children are developing normally. As a quantitative study, the researchers employed a self-administered questionnaire i.e. DASS (Depression, Anxiety, Stress, Scale 42).

They found that parents with children with this disability tend to suffer from depression as well as anxiety and stress. Moreover, these researchers concluded that mothers of such children are more likely to suffer severely from depression as compared to fathers (Merkaj, Kika & Simaku, 2013, p.345). Critique Through examining the symptoms of depression between parents with disabled children and those with normally developing children, this study provides significant insights regarding the symptoms of this condition among parents with disabled children and its impact on them.

One of the major strengths of the study is that it was carried out for a long period of time i.e. February to October 2012, which enabled the researchers to effectively examine the issue and enhanced the study's findings. The use of the same number of parents of disabled children and those with normally-developing children also helped in generating accurate findings through avoiding potential bias.

The study provides detailed information regarding the inclusion criteria for participants relative to children with the condition, instruments used in the study, and statistical analysis approach. This demonstrates that the research process was comprehensive and provided reliable results. However, this study has several weaknesses that generate concerns regarding the reliability and validity of its results. First, the authors specifically focused on parents of children with autism, which implies that the results may not effectively represent all disability conditions among children.

In essence, the consideration of other disabilities in the study would have provided different results that may not have led to the findings, conclusions, and recommendations provided by these researchers. Secondly, while the authors state that mothers of disabled children exhibit more symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress than fathers, they do not demonstrate the reasons for the difference and the extent of severity.

The reliability of the study's findings and recommendations would be enhanced if the researchers provided explanations for the reasons for this difference and the extent with which these mothers suffer from depression, anxiety, and stress. Despite the obvious weaknesses, the study is still applicable to my clinical work in handling the needs of a young African-American mother suffering from depression due to her son's disability i.e.