Measuring the effects of stress on the mothers of handicapped infants: must depression always follow?

As one aspect of the evaluation of an early intervention project with families of handicapped children, 25 mothers of severely handicapped infants were asked individually, as part of an in-depth interview, to complete the Malaise Inventory (Rutter et al. 1970) soon after the commencement of home-based therapy. They were also asked to complete the Inventory with regard to their feelings prior to home visiting, and the 20 mothers with surviving children were asked to complete it again after a 2 year period during which regular weekly visits and been maintained. A comparison group of 12 mothers with handicapped children of the same age, living in another part of the same county, who had not received home visiting, were also interviewed under similar conditions. A general decrease in the level of depression reported was found both during and at the end of the 2 year period. The complex nature of the relationship between the birth of a handicapped child and maternal depression is discussed and some implications drawn from the present study. The strengths and weaknesses of the Malaise Inventory for use within this context are also discussed.