Evaluation of the Family Burden and Social Isolation Status of Mothers of Children with Special Needs

Introduction: The high family burden in families with children with special needs causes social isolation. The current research was conducted as a descriptive study to determine the family burden and social isolation status of mothers of children with special needs and the influencing factors. Method: The researchers conducted the present study on 180 Turkish mothers selected by convenience sampling and collected data using the "Information Form," "Social Isolation Scale," and "Family Burden Assessment Scale for Families of Children with Intellectual Disability." They performed data analysis using the program SPSS. The study, which examined the social isolation status and family burdens according to some demographic variables, calculated skewness and kurtosis values. Since the results showed that the distributions were within acceptable limits, the researchers used ANOVA and t-test analysis to compare the means and multiple regression analysis to determine the possible predictors of the total scores from the scales. Findings: The findings showed that respondent mothers had a moderate level of social isolation and a high level of family burden. With an increase in respondent mothers' age and education level, their social isolation levels decreased. Furthermore, with an increase in respondent mothers' education level, family burden decreased. However, with the increasing number of children with special needs respondent mothers had, their family burden increased. The family burden of respondent mothers who reported that having children with special needs caused them to experience problems with their social communication and spouses also increased. Discussion: The impact of having a child with special needs on social communication and the number of children with special needs are important predictors of both social isolation and family burden.