Experience of Mothers of Children with Down syndrome at the Cocody University Hospital (Côte d'Ivoire)

Introduction: Down syndrome or trisomy 21 is the most common chromosomal aberration and the leading cause of intellectual disability in the world. It has complex repercussions on the lives of children and their families. Objective: To describe the experiences of mothers of children with Down syndrome. Methods: This was a prospective descriptive study from April 1, 2019, to January 31, 2021 (22 months) in the medical genetics unit of the Cocody University Hospital on children with trisomy 21 and their mothers. The descriptive qualitative approach was used. Data were collected using clinical interviews with mothers. Results: Thirty-nine mother-child pairs were included. The average age of the mothers was 37 years and that of the children was 12 months. The sex ratio was 0.7. The diagnosis of Down syndrome was announced by a health worker in 87% of cases. In 77% of cases, the mothers knew that the disease would lead to mental retardation. Several psychological reactions were noted when the diagnosis was announced, namely the desire for protection (92.3%), refusal of the diagnosis (51%), feelings of guilt (25.6%) and depression (30.8%). Conclusion: The announcement of the diagnosis of Down syndrome is followed by a difficult psychological process for mothers that require multidisciplinary care including psychosocial support.