A Comparative Study of the Mental Health Status of fathers and mothers of Children with Educable Mental Disabilities in Mashhad

The purpose of the present study was to compare the mental health status of fathers and mothers (N = 191; 59.6% mothers) of children with educable mental disabilities on various dimensions including, depression, anxiety, physical complains, and social functioning. The sampling method was multilayer, cluster sampling from special education schools in Mashhad. The General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-28) was administered with the parents. The results showed that parents scored relatively high on the GHQ (M = 29.4, SD =11.7), indicating problems with their mental health status; however, mothers scored higher than fathers on anxiety and depression (p>0.05). No other significant differences were found between mother's and fathers/ GHQ scores