Professional Caregiver's View on Mental Health in Parents of Children with Developmental Disabilities: A Nationwide Study of Institutions and Consultation Centers in Japan

Parents of children with intellectual disabilities and/or physical disabilities are supposed to have an increased risk for parenting stress and psychological distress. We as professional caregivers sometimes experience difficulties in keeping good relations or communicating with the parents. Professional workers in 460 institutions and consultation centers throughout Japan answered a questionnaire on their clinical experiences. About 90% of the facilities experienced "distressed parents," and the parents' condition such as mental health seemed to influence this. Signs of a depressive state were the most common psychiatric disturbances detected, and it was notable in the pervasive developmental disorder group. More welfare support, presence of support groups, support from other family members, and medical treatment of the parents' problems were considered to be helpful and thus requested to be improved. Training more professionals who can properly deal with the parents' mental health needs is an urgent matter that must be tackled.