Depression in mothers with intellectual disabilities and borderline intellectual functioning: A longitudinal study

Parents with intellectual disabilities (ID) experience economic and social marginalization that increase their vulnerability for adverse mental health outcomes. Longitudinal research is necessary to understand the development of such outcomes in relation to raising a child for parents with ID.

This study uses longitudinal data from the Future of Families and Child Wellbeing Study (FFCWS). Multilevel mixed-effects logistic regression was employed to examine rates and risk factors of depression among a total sample of N = 435 mothers with ID and borderline intellectual functioning (IF) across Years 1-15.

For mothers with ID and borderline IF, rates of depression were consistently elevated, and the highest risk was observed when their child was 3 years old, even when adjusting for multiple sociodemographic and contextual variables. Being married/partnered and having higher levels of social support were associated with lower odds, whereas having higher levels of parenting stress and material hardship were associated with higher odds of depression.

Given the consistently high rates of maternal depression, interventions are needed across the span of parenthood and child development for mothers with ID and borderline IF. Developmentally appropriate supports are especially needed during early childhood.