Peer-reviewed article
Social Determinants of Health, Maternal Quality of Life, and Family Functioning Among Latinx Families of Children with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities.
Weiwen Zeng, Yolanda Suarez-Balcazar, Vanessa L Errisuriz, Mansha Mirza, Sandra B Vanegas et al. ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This study examined how social and economic factors affect the quality of life for mothers and family functioning among Latinx families who have children with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The research involved 105 families in Texas and Illinois and found that not owning a home, not having enough food, and experiencing discrimination were linked to lower maternal well-being and worse family functioning. Social support and family closeness helped, though discrimination sometimes reduced the protective benefits of having good social support.
Key points
- Food insecurity and perceived discrimination were associated with lower maternal quality of life and worse family functioning
- Not being a homeowner was linked to lower maternal quality of life
- Social support and family cohesion were positive correlates of better outcomes
- Perceived discrimination dampened the positive effects of social support on maternal quality of life
- Policies addressing homeownership, food insecurity, and discrimination could improve wellbeing for these families
Limitations
This study is cross-sectional and cannot establish cause and effect. The findings apply specifically to Latinx families in two US states and may not represent other populations or regions.
Abstract
This study aims to understand the relationships of social determinants of health (SDOH) and sociocultural factors with maternal quality of life and family functioning among Latinx families of children with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). We recruited 105 Latinx families of children with IDD across Texas and Illinois. We used conditional process models to examine the associations between demographic variables, SDOH, sociocultural factors (social support and family cohesion), and outcomes including maternal quality of life (QoL) and family functioning. We also tested whether sociocultural factors moderated the relationships between selected SDOH and the study outcomes. We found that not being a homeowner, experiencing food insecurity, and having greater levels of perceived discrimination were associated with lower maternal QoL. We also found that food insecurity and greater levels of perceived discrimination were associated with lower family functioning among Latinx families of children with IDD. Social support and family cohesion were positive correlates of the outcomes; however, they did not show significant moderation effects. On the contrary, we found that perceived discrimination may dampen the impact of social support on maternal QoL. This study highlights the impact of SDOH on the wellbeing of Latinx families of children with IDD. Policies and programs that promote homeownership, reduce food insecurity, and combat discrimination may benefit the wellbeing of Latinx families with children with IDD.