Depression and stress in mothers of Autistic and Mentally Retarded children- a comparative study

Dr.Arpita Acharya; Bijaya Majumder

Volume : V, Issue : VI, June - 2016

Depression and stress in mothers of Autistic and Mentally Retarded children- a comparative study

Dr. Arpita Acharya, Bijaya Majumder

Abstract :

 The no. of disable children is increasing day by day in India and in our state in Tripura. The parents, especially the mother of disabled children are suffering from many psychological problems. Depression and stress are seen as common psychological problem among the mothers of disabled children. This work intends to assess the level of IQ of mentally retarded children, and also assess the level of autism of children with autistic disorder. Depression and parental stress level of the mothers of MR and autistic children were also measured. A sample of 50 MR children with their mothers and a sample of 50 autistic children with their mothers are selected for this purpose. Standard psychological tests were administered to collect data. Results reveal that the mothers of mentally retarded and autistic children are suffering from depression and stress. The level of stress and depression of mothers’ increases with the increased level of autism and retardation of their children. Result also indicates that the mothers of autistic children are suffering from more depression than the mothers of mentally retarded children.