Abstract
Introduction: Disabled or genetically abnormal children double the family’s efforts to adapt. The purpose of this study is to determine the support needs of women with children with disabilities or genetic abnormalities regarding childbearing.
Methods: This cross-sectional analytical study was conducted on 250 women with disabled or genetically abnormal children in 2022. The data collection method was a researcher-made questionnaire consisting of two parts: demographic questions and questions measuring support needs in physical, psychological, social, and economic dimensions. Chi-square and Fisher’s exact test were used for data analysis.
Results: The results of this study showed that the majority of women with disabled children felt the need for support in the physical and emotional fields (152 people, 60.8%) and in the socio-economic field (95 people, 38%), with moderate intensity. The younger mothers felt a greater need for support in both the physical-emotional (P = 0.04) and socio-economic (P = 0.01) dimensions, and mothers who had healthier children felt a lower need for the physical-emotional support (P = 0.04). However, mothers with more disabled children felt a greater need for socio-economic support (P = 0.03). Additionally, socio-economic needs showed a significant relationship with some variables such as religion (P = 0.03), parents’ education (mother P = 0.002 and father P = 0.01), economic status (P = 0.04), child’s mobility disability (P = 0.003), and history of genetic problems (P = 0.01).
Conclusion: It is necessary to focus on the mentioned issues in order to meet the basic needs of couples with disabled children, so that these people can be inclined towards having children again.