The role of maternal employment and depression in the psychological adjustment of chronically ill, mentally retarded, and well children.

Used path analysis to test a conceptual model of the relationship among maternal employment status, maternal depression, and reported child behavior problems. Ss were 95 mothers of children in 4 conditions: cystic fibrosis, diabetes, mental retardation, and well. Regardless of child chronic condition or family SES, mothers not employed outside the home had higher levels of depression than employed mothers. Maternal depression, in turn, was associated with higher levels of reported child behavior problems. Controlling for SES and maternal depression, mental retardation was associated with more child behavior problems, but chronic illness (cystic fibrosis and diabetes) was not associated with more behavior problems. The findings underscore the need to examine the adjustment of children with chronic disorders in the context of their mothers' well-being, particularly when mothers are the principal informants regarding child adjustment.