Impact of children with Down syndrome on maternal health

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Bourke et al from the University of Western Australia have completed a study of the impact of having a child with Down syndrome on maternal physical and mental health. Interestingly, the results show that having a child with Down syndrome does have a negative impact on both physical and mental health in the mother. The results indicate that the mothers of children with Down syndrome might require greater support and services to help them manage their child's problems and their own mental health. In an accompanying editorial, Rosenbaum suggests that we might consider offering all parents of children with chronic conditions an educational opportunity about parenting a “special” child. He also noted that the Bourke et al results show that maternal mental well-being does improve with age.