Quality of life of working and non-working Jordanian mothers caring for chronically ill child and its associated factors

Huda F Gharaibeh; Muntaha K Gharaibeh

doi:10.1016/j.heliyon.2021.e06320

Quality of life of working and non-working Jordanian mothers caring for chronically ill child and its associated factors

Heliyon. 2021 Mar 8;7(3):e06320. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2021.e06320. eCollection 2021 Mar.

Authors

Huda F Gharaibeh¹, Muntaha K Gharaibeh²

Affiliations

¹ Maternal-Child Health and Midwifery Department, Faculty of Nursing, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Po Box (3030), 22110, Irbid, Jordan.
² Maternal-Child Health and Midwifery Department, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Po Box (3030), 22110, Irbid, Jordan.

Abstract

Background: Balancing work-life and routines of daily life gets complex when a child is chronically ill.

Aim: This study aimed to examine the QOL of working and non-working mothers caring for children with a chronic illness in Jordan and determine predictors of QOL of working mothers.

Design: Descriptive comparative cross-sectional design.

Method: Data from 164 mothers who cared for a child with a chronic disease were collected. The World Health Organization Quality of Life - BREF (WHOQOL-BREF) was used to collect the data on physical, psychological, social relationships, and environment domains.

Results: The quality of life of working mothers was significantly lower than those of non-working mothers on all domains of WHOQOL-BREF. Mother's working status, monthly income, evaluation of their own health explained 41% of the variance. Social, family and employer support may help them overcome the challenges of caring for a child with a chronic illness and maintain good QOL.

Keywords: Chronically ill child; Jordan; Quality of life; Working mother.