Authors:
Fairthorne J, Hammond G, Bourke J, Jacoby P, Leonard H
Authors notes:
PLoS ONE. 2014;9(12):e113430
Keywords:
Mothers, intellectual disability, autism, mortality, death, hazard ratio
Abstract:
Mothers of children with intellectual disability or autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have poorer health than other mothers.
Yet no research has explored whether this poorer health is reflected in mortality rates or whether certain causes of death are more likely.
We aimed to calculate the hazard ratios for death and for the primary causes of death in mothers of children with intellectual disability or ASD compared to other mothers.
During the study period, mothers of children with intellectual disability or ASD had more than twice the risk of death.
Mothers of children with intellectual disability were 40% more likely to die of cancer; 150% more likely to die of cardiovascular disease and nearly 200% more likely to die from misadventure than other mothers.
Due to small numbers, only hazard ratios for cancer were calculated for mothers of children with ASD.
These mothers were about 50% more likely to die from cancer than other mothers.
Possible causes and implications of our results are discussed.
Similar studies, pooling data from registries elsewhere, would improve our understanding of factors increasing the mortality of mothers of children with intellectual disability or ASD.
This would allow the implementation of informed services and interventions to improve these mothers' longevity.