tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-447392662850613354.post3999763508195949619..comments2024-02-25T10:24:30.868-05:00Comments on Special needs disability parenting BLOOM: Study links high-needs children to increased death risk in momsBLOOM - Parenting Kids With Disabilitieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06901482901008135659noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-447392662850613354.post-9665287314339670492017-01-19T13:16:52.403-05:002017-01-19T13:16:52.403-05:00Hi Pam -- Thanks for your message. The researchers...Hi Pam -- Thanks for your message. The researchers did adjust for factors like the mother having health problems -- in that instance, the increased risk was slightly smaller -- a 22 per cent increased risk. BLOOM - Parenting Kids With Disabilitieshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06901482901008135659noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-447392662850613354.post-46397384334081951472017-01-18T10:16:20.854-05:002017-01-18T10:16:20.854-05:00I'd really caution against interpreting the re...I'd really caution against interpreting the results as children with disabilities cause parents stress, which in turn causes early mortality. It's just as plausible that mothers who bear children with serious heart anomalies--even in the context of a genetic syndrome--have a greater genetic risk for heart disease. For example, my daughter's deletion syndrome dramatically increases the risk for heart anomalies. But she has no heart anomalies, likely because MY genetic risk for heart disease (which is very low) was passed down to her offsetting her high genetic risk. BUT the reverse can obviously happen. I'd also note that the telomere study did not find that more hours of caregiving decreased telomere length, they found that people who perceived the same number of hours as more stressful had shortened telomere length. It's also the case that the study has not been replicated. Moreover, there is not consistent evidence that telomere length is linked to longevity in population based studies. Pamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05182907267160656404noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-447392662850613354.post-60100757697565272372017-01-16T07:07:44.202-05:002017-01-16T07:07:44.202-05:00Good points, Sue Robins.
Thanks for this Louise....Good points, Sue Robins. <br /><br />Thanks for this Louise. I found it really observant of this researcher to note the discordance experience by most parents when it comes to caring for a disabled child at home: it's your child, you must keep him or her at home and care for them vs. you shouldn't sacrifice your life entirely for your child. Excellent observation. "But with children, we have a societal expectation that they’re raised by their families—for all the right reasons—and it’s rare that a parent of a disabled or very ill child puts them into care...there’s extraordinary trauma associated with the discordance between either societal or personal expectations of what caregiving of a child will be like. It’s not a societal expectation that one will raise a chronically ill or dependent child."<br />Clairehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13070297384173508509noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-447392662850613354.post-51191036129421878192017-01-15T17:33:05.658-05:002017-01-15T17:33:05.658-05:00Thank you for this interview Louise! I am glad to...Thank you for this interview Louise! I am glad to hear from the researcher...this is good investigative work.<br /><br />When JAMA's article first came out, I thought: oh no, people are going to interpret this as our children causing stress (and death) to us mothers. <br /><br />BUT I would like to point out that most of the my family's stressors are due to 'system' problems that are wholly created by our provincial governments: uncoordinated medical care, lack of family-friendly workplaces, lack of recognition of unpaid caregiving work, impossible barriers constructed because of restrictive criteria to access any respite or childcare or publicly funded therapies, lack of understanding about behaviour in educational settings. Sure, agencies offer support, but ONLY if you can access them and prove your dire need and your kid has the right diagnosis. <br /><br />I think governments and society do a lousy job of supporting all mothers and caregivers overall - but particularly in the world of disability. As one mom sadly told me: it is like nobody cares about our kids...except for us. This is a heavy weight to bear. sue robinshttp://www.suerobins.comnoreply@blogger.com