Time use of mothers with young children: the impact of a child's disability

This study examined the impact of children's disabilities on the time use of mothers of young children. 45 mothers of young children with multiple disabilities and significant functional impairments and 45 mothers of children with Down syndrome were compared with 45 mothers of typically developing children. The children were aged between six months and five years. Using a seven-day time diary (the CARE inventory), it was found that mothers of children with multiple disabilities spent significantly more hours on child-related activities than did mothers of children with Down syndrome and controls. There were no significant differences between groups in the amount of time that mothers spent in recreational leisure activities; however, control mothers spent significantly more time socializing with other people than did mothers of children with disabilities.