Abstract
The influence of employment on parenting stress among mothers of 5-year-old children with developmental disabilities and the influence of parenting demands (i.e., caregiving difficulty and behavior problems) and family support on their work quality and absenteeism from work was examined. No significant associations were found between employment status and parenting demands, family support, or stress for the sample as a whole. Among employed mothers, those who rated their jobs as interesting reported significantly less parenting stress when they experienced low or mean levels of parenting demands. Mothers' interest in work did not moderate the negative influence of high levels of parenting demands on stress. Finally, parenting demands increased absenteeism but had no effect on work quality. Implications of these findings are discussed.