Background: Mothers of children with special needs report higher incidences of physical, psychological, and emotional burden and illness than typical parents. While numerous theoretical models exist to describe parenting wellness that encompasses the subjective responses to stress as it affects health. The main purpose of this study was to examine perceived wellness in mothers of children with special needs. Several suprising results suggest that maternal perceived wellness is affected by stress. Methods: Relationships between stress and perceived wellness in mothers of young children without special needs and mothers of children with special needs were examined. Measures used included the Perceived Wellness Survey (PWS), the Parenting Stress Index-Short Form (PSI-SF), as well as questionnaire on demographics. Empirical data was analyzed using ANOVA, correlation and frequencies to determine the relationship between stress and perceived wellness in this population. Results: No significant difference was found between groups for parenting stress measures or perceived wellness. A statistically significant relationship was established between the parenting distress subscale of the PSI-SF and perceived emotional wellness of the PWS. Additionally, in the regression equations, two dimensions of the PWS produced signficance in relation to the overall total stress score of the PSI-SF. However, although a relationship was determined to exist, it is difficult to determine the exact relationship as no strong correlations were found among the covariates in the model. Conclusions: Research shows that mothers of children with special needs require on-going and substantial support. Thus, a better understanding of the mother’s perceived wellness, allow professionals to better target maternal support needs.
