RATES OF SEPARATION AND/OR DIVORCE AMONG PARENTS OF CHILDREN WITH NEURODEVELOPMENTAL DISORDERS: HOW INEVITABLE IS THIS? Results from the NLSCY, February, 2014 Lucyna M. Lach, PhD, Associate Professor, School of Social Work, McGill Univeristy Rubab G. Arim, PhD, Methodologist, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute Dafna E. Kohen, PhD, Senior Analyst Statistics Canada
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Results from the NLSCY, February, 2014 Lucyna M. Lach, PhD, Associate Professor, School of Social Work, McGill Univeristy Rubab G. Arim, PhD, Methodologist,
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RATES OF SEPARATION AND/OR DIVORCE AMONG PARENTS OF
CHILDREN WITH NEURODEVELOPMENTAL DISORDERS:
HOW INEVITABLE IS THIS?Results from the NLSCY,
February, 2014
Lucyna M. Lach, PhD, Associate Professor, School of Social Work, McGill Univeristy
Rubab G. Arim, PhD, Methodologist,Ottawa Hospital Research Institute
Dafna E. Kohen, PhD, Senior AnalystStatistics Canada
Learning Objectives
As a result of attending this presentation, you will be able to answer the following questions:
What is the impact that caring for a child with a neurodevelopmental disorder (NDD) has on rates of separation/divorce?
What child, parent, and family factors predict separation/divorce among parents whose child has a neurodevelopmental disorder?
Why NDD? Issue of specificity: narrower than CHCD.
NDD is an impairment of the growth and development of the brain or central nervous system associated with motor, cognitive, behavioural, and/or language function. e.g., ASD/PDD, cerebral palsy, epilepsy, learning disabilities,
global developmental delay, and mental retardation
Issue of complexity: NDD unfolds as the individual grows. NDD affects different aspects of function: ambulation,
information processing (e.g., memory, expressive and receptive language), and self-regulation of emotion and behaviour
In United States, up to 9.3% of children under age 18 have a NDD (CDC, 1995); comparable rate in Canada among 4-11 year olds
Children with NDDs have higher rates of behavioural disorders than their peers without NDDs both concurrently (Howe et al., 1993; McDermott et al., 1995; 1996) and over time (Breslau & Marshall, 1985; Seltzer et al., 2005)
Stress in families of children with NDDs is elevated (Rao & Biedel, 2009; Montes & Halterman, 2008)
Higher levels of marital quality predict lower parenting stress and fewer depressive symptoms (Kersh et al., 2006)
Why study separation and/or divorce rates?
Common belief that having a child with a NDD is a risk factor for separation and/or divorce
"It can break a family apart as we've seen by the 80% divorce rate statistic” (Autism Today website).
“Definitive statistics on the divorce rate of couples of children with disabilities are not available but there is general consensus that it is somewhat higher than in families with typical children. We do know that the divorce rate is terribly high for marriages in general; it is reported as approximately 50% for 1st marriages and close to 75% for 2nd marriages” (Marshak, 2007).
Why study separation and/or divorce rates?
“yeah… because if, if we were both pessimistic people I don’t think we would have lasted so long… and that’s one of the reasons the divorce rate is so high… it’s hard… it’s a daily struggle… you know from the time we get up to the time we go to bed… it’s, it’s like you always.…even now….one eye and ear is where [son’s name] is even though we’re sitting here at the kitchen table talking – I’ve got a, you know like a, sixth sense of where he is and what he’s doing…. I have to…Because he can not be left alone… “ (father of 8 year old with moderate to severe autism,
nonverbal)
Why study separation and/or divorce rates?
“…because most parents. And I know, I can’t really say that I know a lot of parents with autistic kids. And if they are, I can’t say that I know a lot of fathers who have… that I know the fathers. ‘Cause most of the meetings I go to it’s the women, you know, the women with the child and so forth. Unfortunately, statistically, it’s staggering the amount of families that are broken up. Because it’s too much. It’s too much. Whether it’s the mother, whether it’s the father, they didn’t see eye to eye. I can see where… it can end up like that…” (father of 8 year old with moderate to severe autism,
nonverbal)
Do parents of children with NDD have higher separation/divorce
rates? - yes Mothers of children with disabilities are
more likely to be separated and/or divorced than mothers of children without disabilities 14.3% vs. 11.4% (divorced) 8.2% vs. 5.4% (separated) (Witt et al., 2003)
Parents of children with an ASD had a higher rate of divorce than the comparison group 23.5% vs. 13.8% (Hartley et al., 2010)
Do parents of children with NDD have higher separation/divorce
rates? – it depends
Divorce rates among parents of children with Down Syndrome were lower than rates among parents of children with other birth anomalies and no identified disability (Urbano & Hodapp, 2007)
Down’s syndrome divorce rate: 7.6% Other birth anomalies: 11.2% No identified disability: 10.8%
Do parents of children with NDD have higher separation/divorce
rates? – no Children with ASD are no more likely to
be in a traditional family than children without ASD
Traditional = biological or adoptive married parents
Non-traditional = other family structure such as separated/divorced, remarried, single, etc.)
64% vs. 65.2% (Freedman et al., 2010)
Previous Work
Canadian National Longitudinal Survey of Children & Youth (NLSCY)• Long-term study of child physical and social
development
• Person most knowledgeable (PMK) about the child reports on child, self, spouse; child report 10+
• Follow up data collected every 2 years until 2009 (last year of data collection)
Parents of children with NDD
What is the impact of having a child with a complex health condition (NDD with and without behaviour problems) on CG’s: Physical and psychological health?
(i.e., chronic condition, activity limitation, general health and depressive symptoms)
Psychosocial adjustment? (i.e., marital satisfaction, family functioning)
Predictors of Separation and/or Divorce Logistic Regression (Full Model)
Family characteristics Few children < 17 years of age
Low income
Family distress
Limitations & Strengths
Parent-report
Covers a period of 12 years
Difficult to compare to published rates of separation and/or divorce due to different methods used in each study
Conclusions
Caring for a child with NDD with or without behaviour problems is associated with higher risk for separation and/or divorce over a 12 year period
It is important to consider other child, parent, and family characteristics to better understand the risk factors that are associated with children’s experience of parental separation and/or divorce
Principal Investigators: Peter Rosenbaum; McMaster University Lucyna Lach, McGill University Dafna Kohen; Statistics Canada, Universite d’Ottawa
Team Leaders: Rachel Birnbaum; King’s University College, UWO Rochelle Garner; Statistics Canada, Universite d’Ottawa David Nicholas; University of Calgary Michael Saini; University of Toronto
Team Members: Jamie Brehaut; Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Universite
d’Ottawa Delphine Collin-Vezina; McGill University Michael MacKenzie; Columbia University Ted McNeill; Hospital For Sick Children Research Institute,
University of Toronto Alison Niccols; McMaster University
CIHR Team in The Bio-psychosocial Context of Parenting Children with Neurodevelopmental Disorders in Canada
Team - Collaborators
Parents and Advocates: Frank Gavin; Co-Chair, Canadian Family Advisory Network Sue Robins; Member, Canadian Family Advisory Network Joanne Ganton; President, Calgary Cerebral Palsy Association
Young Adults: Lindsay Yeo; Member, Canadian Family Advisory Network
Institutional/Clinical Leaders: Elaine Orrbine; Canadian Association of Paediatric Health
Centres Diane Calce; Marie Enfant Rehabilitation Centre of CHUM Ste.
Justine
Policy Makers Nancy Reynolds; President, Alberta Centre For Child, Family,
and Community Research Linda Burnside; Executive Director, Disability Programs,
Ministry of Family Services and Housing Government of Manitoba