Effect of parental mutuality on the quality of life of mothers of children with special health needs.
Paula Rossi Baldini, Bruna Josiane de Lima, Beatriz Helena Naddaf Camilo and 2 others
PMID 34037119WHAT IT FOUND
Mothers of children with special health needs who felt their partner shared care decisions reported less pain, emotional and social interference in daily life.
Vitality was not related. This is not proof that mutuality caused better quality of life.
Key findings
01Mothers who reported higher parental mutuality also reported fewer daily-life impairments from pain, emotional issues and social interference.
02Parental mutuality was not significantly associated with the vitality domain.
03The lowest quality-of-life medians among mothers were vitality, emotional aspects and mental health.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The study was cross-sectional, so it cannot show that parental mutuality caused better quality of life. Parental mutuality was measured only from the mother's report, not the partner's report. Participants were mothers who lived with a partner and were recruited in a tertiary hospital outpatient service, so the results may not apply to single caregivers or other settings. The children's special health needs were not screened with a specific instrument; researchers relied on the hospital's specialty and attention to first-care cases. The study did not test an intervention.
Declared interests
The funding section states partial financing by CAPES, Finance Code 001. It does not list author conflicts.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that improving parental mutuality will improve mothers' quality of life. The design was cross-sectional, and the study measured only mothers' perceptions. It shows association, not cause.