Research Ongoing

Mental Health of Parents with Autoimmune Rheumatic Diseases During Early Child Development

Scientific Study Title:

Mental Health in Individuals with Autoimmune Rheumatic Diseases During Early Parenting: A Gender Based Approach to Identify Associated Factors and Support Needs

Start Date:

April 2023

End Date:

September 2029

Research Category

# Health Habits & Wellbeing

Ready to Participate?

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Why do this research?

Reason For Research

Individuals affected by autoimmune rheumatic diseases (ARDs) encounter a range of challenges that can negatively impact mental health. Depression and anxiety are almost twice that of the general population. Mental health has been shown to negatively impact disease course and quality of life. Becoming a parent is a major life event that brings additional challenges to those managing disease specific factors and the new challenges of parenting. Understanding and promoting mental health in parents with young children is particularly important given the adverse impacts of parental mental health problems on child development.

Methodology

Execution of Research

This study will advance the limited knowledge base on the mental health of mothers and fathers during the early parenting years. The findings will define the mental health resources and intervention approaches to better support the needs of persons living with ARDs during this critical life stage.

This study will include individuals with ARDs from across Canada who have children five years and younger. An online survey and follow up interviews will be used to determine:
1. mental health outcomes
2. the relative contribution of disease-specific, psychosocial and parenting-specific factors
to severity of depressive and anxiety symptoms;
3. barriers, support needs and preferences to manage mental health during this critical life stage.

Who is involved?

Involvement

Parents with ARDs who have children 5 years and younger will be recruited from across Canada to complete an online survey and a sub-group will be interviewed.