Anxiety levels in mothers of children with specific learning disability

Parents of children with specific learning disability (SpLD) undergo stress in coping with their child's condition.

To measure the levels of anxiety and find out the cause of anxiety in mothers of children with SpLD at time of diagnosis.

Prospective rating-scale and interview-based study conducted in our clinic.

One hundred mothers of children (70 boys, 30 girls) with SpLD were interviewed using the Hamilton anxiety rating scale (HAM-A) and a semi-structured questionnaire. Detailed clinical and demographic data of mothers were noted.

Chi-square test or unpaired student's t-test was applied wherever applicable.

The mean age of mothers was 40.14 years (+/-SD 4.94, range 25.07-54.0), 73% belonged to upper or upper middle socioeconomic strata of society, 67% were graduates or postgraduates, 58% were full-time home-makers, and 33% lived in joint families. Levels of anxiety were absent in 24%, mild in 75%, and moderate in 1% of mothers. Their mean total anxiety score was 5.65 (+/-SD 4.75, range 0-21), mean psychic anxiety score was 3.92 (+/-SD 3.11, range 0-13), and mean somatic anxiety score was 1.76 (+/-SD 2.05, range 0-10). Their common worries were related to child's poor school performance (95%), child's future (90%), child's behavior (51%), and visits to our clinic (31%).

Most mothers of children with SpLD have already developed mild anxiety levels by the time this hidden disability is diagnosed. These anxieties should be addressed by counseling to ensure optimum rehabilitation of these children.