Maternal disability and newborn discharge to social services: a population-based study
Claire Grant1, Yona Lunsky2,3,4, Astrid Guttmann4,5,6
1Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, University College London, London, United Kingdom.
International Journal of Population Data Science
|April 11, 2025
Summary
Newborns of mothers with disabilities face a higher risk of being discharged to social services. This highlights the need for targeted support for these families to ensure child well-being.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Social Work
- Pediatrics
Background:
- Child removal by social services is a last resort, yet newborn discharges to care are increasing.
- Mother-newborn separation impacts child development, raising concerns about early interventions.
- Women with disabilities often face biased assumptions regarding parenting capacity, with limited data on their newborns' outcomes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the risk of newborns being discharged to social services among mothers with and without disabilities.
- To compare the rates of discharge to social services for infants born to mothers with various types of disabilities versus those without.
Main Methods:
- A population-based cohort study in Ontario, Canada (2008-2019) analyzed singleton livebirths.
- Modified Poisson regression estimated the relative risk (RR) of discharge to social services post-birth hospitalization.
- Comparison groups included newborns of mothers with physical, sensory, intellectual/developmental, and multiple disabilities against those without disabilities.
Main Results:
- Newborns of mothers with disabilities had a significantly higher risk of discharge to social services.
- Specific risks: physical disabilities (aRR 1.53), sensory (aRR 1.34), intellectual/developmental (aRR 5.34), and multiple disabilities (aRR 3.09) compared to mothers without disabilities (0.2%).
- Key predictors included young maternal age, low income, social assistance, maternal mental illness/substance use, inadequate prenatal care, and neonatal morbidity.
Conclusions:
- Infants born to mothers with disabilities are at an elevated risk of being discharged to social services.
- Findings underscore the necessity for developing specialized support systems for mothers with disabilities and their newborns.
- Tailored interventions can potentially mitigate risks and improve outcomes for vulnerable families.
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