Quality of Life, Needs and Fears of Mothers of Children with Disabilities in Saudi Arabia during the COVID-19 Lockdown

Nisreen Al Awaji, Monira Aldhahi, Shahnaz Akil, Salwa Awad and Eman Mortada
Additional contact information
Nisreen Al Awaji: Department of Health Communication Sciences, College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, Princess Nourah Bint Abdulrahman University, Riyadh 84428, Saudi Arabia
Monira Aldhahi: Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, Princess Nourah Bint Abdulrahman University, Riyadh 84428, Saudi Arabia
Shahnaz Akil: Department of Laboratory Medicine, Clinical Physiology, Karolinska Institute, SE-14186 Stockholm, Sweden
Salwa Awad: Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, Princess Nourah Bint Abdulrahman University, Riyadh 84428, Saudi Arabia
Eman Mortada: Department of Health Sciences, College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, Princess Nourah Bint Abdulrahman University, Riyadh 84428, Saudi Arabia

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 21, 1-16

Abstract: Substantial changes in life dynamics resulting from the outbreak of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) could have an impact on the quality of life (QoL) of mothers of children with and without disabilities. This study compared the quality of life (QoL) of mothers of children with disabilities (MCD) to the QoL of mothers of children without disabilities (CON) in Saudi Arabia during COVID-19 lockdown. It explored mothers’ concerns and the type of support they need during the quarantine. A comparative cross-sectional study was conducted during the lockdown. An online questionnaire was distributed to mothers raising children with and without disabilities in Saudi Arabia. A total of 340 mothers participated in the study by completing the survey: 93 MCD and 247 CON. The QoL of MCD and CON was assessed using the WHOQOL-BREF questionnaire. Furthermore, detailed information was provided by the mothers regarding their needs and concerns during the lockdown. The results of the study revealed that the overall QoL was significantly higher in the CON group, compared to the MCD group, during the COVID-19 lockdown. The social well-being and environmental well-being reported by MCD were significantly lower on the total scale of the WHOQOL-BREF than those reported by the CON group. The comparison between the two groups revealed significant differences in the support required by mothers during the COVID-19 pandemic: a higher percentage of MCD needed emotional and psychological support, especially from family members. The major concerns reported by MCD were the deterioration of their children’s medical conditions and the lack of medical supplies during the lockdown.

Keywords: COVID-19; quality of life; mothers; children with disabilities; support; Saudi Arabia (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/18/21/11442/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/18/21/11442/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:18:y:2021:i:21:p:11442-:d:668903

Access Statistics for this article

IJERPH is currently edited by Ms. Jenna Liu

More articles in IJERPH from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().