The effect of religious beliefs on general health and happiness of mothers who has or has not children with intellectual disability

Introduction: Birth of a child with intellectual disability can be considered as an adverse event by families. On this occasion all family members, especially mothers, are at risk for general health problems. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of religious beliefs on general health and happiness among mothers who has or has nor children with intellectual disability.Materials and methods: The current research was a correlation study. 131 children with intellectual disability and also 131 normal children, matched in characteristics rather than mental ability, were recruited for this study and their mother completed such questionnaires as the general health, the Oxford happiness, and the basic religious beliefs questionnaire. Finally, the data were analyzed using thecorrelation and regression tests by SPSS software.Results: The results showed that there was a significant correlation between religious beliefs and mental health of intellectually disabled children and normal children’s mothers at r=0/932 and r=0/817, respectively. Religious beliefs in mothers of intellectually disabled children was less than mothers of normal children (p<0/01). A positive significant correlation was also found between religious beliefs and happiness in intellectually disabled children’s mothers (r=0/907). Mothers of the two groups were different in terms of religious beliefs, happiness and mental health, as these factors were lower in mothers of intellectually disabled children (p<0/01).Conclusion: Based on research findings, it can be concluded that mothers of intellectually disabled children might have more issues in finding happiness in life, their mental health and their religious beliefs compared to mothers of normal children.Key Words: religious beliefs, general health, happiness, children with intellectual disability, mothers of children with intellectual disability