Health care concerns among parents of children with mental retardation.

This preliminary study compared concerns of parents of children with moderate mental retardation and parents of children with severe mental retardation, on four health care variables, using a questionnaire format. Parents of children with severe impairments and those with school-aged children, had significantly more concerns regarding the hospitalization of those children, than did parents of children with moderate mental retardation or those with preschool children. Similarly, parents of children with severe disabilities had significantly more concerns on the parent-professional relationship variable than did individuals with moderately affected offspring. A high level of concern on the professional competence variable was expressed by all respondents. Study results suggested that severity of intellectual impairment is an important determinant of the number and nature of concerns that are experienced by parents when seeking health care services for their children with mental retardation. Suggestions for improving professional knowledge and service delivery are provided.