BACKGROUND: Many women temporarily reduce work hours or stop working when caring for small children. However, mothers of children with special health care needs may face particular challenges balancing childrearing responsibilities and employment demands. This study examines how the work participation among mothers of children with special health care needs compares with that of mothers in general during early motherhood, focusing in particular on the extent of the child's additional health care needs. METHODS: By linkage of the population-based Norwegian Mother and Child Cohort Study with national registers on employment, child health care needs, and social background factors, 41,255 mothers employed prior to childbirth were followed until child age 3 years to investigate associations between the child's care needs and mother's dropping out of employment. RESULTS: In total, 16.3% of the formerly employed mothers were no longer employed at child age 3 years. Mothers of children with mild care needs did not differ from mothers in general, whereas mothers of children with moderate [Risk Ratio (RR) 1.45; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.17, 1.80] and severe care needs [RR 2.19; 95% CI 1.67, 2.87] were at substantial risk of not being employed at follow-up. The impact of the child's health care needs remained strong also after adjusting for several factors associated with employment in general. CONCLUSIONS: Extensive childhood health care needs are associated with reduced short-term employment prospects and remain a substantial influence on mothers' work participation during early motherhood, irrespective of other important characteristics associated with maternal employment.
BACKGROUND: Many women temporarily reduce work hours or stop working when caring for small children. However, mothers of children with special health care needs may face particular challenges balancing childrearing responsibilities and employment demands. This study examines how the work participation among mothers of children with special health care needs compares with that of mothers in general during early motherhood, focusing in particular on the extent of the child's additional health care needs. METHODS: By linkage of the population-based Norwegian Mother and Child Cohort Study with national registers on employment, child health care needs, and social background factors, 41,255 mothers employed prior to childbirth were followed until child age 3 years to investigate associations between the child's care needs and mother's dropping out of employment. RESULTS: In total, 16.3% of the formerly employed mothers were no longer employed at child age 3 years. Mothers of children with mild care needs did not differ from mothers in general, whereas mothers of children with moderate [Risk Ratio (RR) 1.45; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.17, 1.80] and severe care needs [RR 2.19; 95% CI 1.67, 2.87] were at substantial risk of not being employed at follow-up. The impact of the child's health care needs remained strong also after adjusting for several factors associated with employment in general. CONCLUSIONS: Extensive childhood health care needs are associated with reduced short-term employment prospects and remain a substantial influence on mothers' work participation during early motherhood, irrespective of other important characteristics associated with maternal employment.
Authors: Monica Ubalde-Lopez; Tina Garani-Papadatos; Ghislaine Scelo; Maribel Casas; Claudia Lissåker; Susan Peters; Ellen Aagaard Nohr; Maria Albin; Raquel Lucas; Kyriaki Papantoniou; Kinga Polańska; Cecilia H Ramlau-Hansen; Jelena Šarac; Jenny Selander; Helena Skröder; Elena Vasileiou; Manolis Kogevinas; Ute Bültmann; Ingrid Sivesind Mehlum; Milena Maule Journal: Scand J Work Environ Health Date: 2021-08-25 Impact factor: 5.024
Authors: Lars Johan Hauge; Ragnhild Bang Nes; Tom Kornstad; Petter Kristensen; Lorentz M Irgens; Markus A Landolt; Leif T Eskedal; Margarete E Vollrath Journal: J Pediatr Psychol Date: 2015-04-23
Authors: Lars Johan Hauge; Tom Kornstad; Ragnhild Bang Nes; Petter Kristensen; Lorentz M Irgens; Markus A Landolt; Leif T Eskedal; Margarete E Vollrath Journal: Matern Child Health J Date: 2014-11