Socioeconomic circumstances and risk of psychiatric disorders among parents of children with early cognitive delay.

Results of previous research suggest that parents of children with intellectual disabilities are at increased risk of psychological distress and psychiatric disorder. Secondary analysis of the Millennium Cohort Study in the United Kingdom indicated that controlling for between-group differences in socioeconomic circumstances reduced the differences in probable psychiatric disorder to non-significance for fathers and markedly attenuated the strength of the relationship for mothers, especially for those with children who have less severe early cognitive delay. These data are consistent with the notion that greater than expected risk for psychiatric disorder among parents of young children with early cognitive delay is related to aspects of the socioeconomic circumstances of families.