Life Pressing Events as Related to Anxiety and Depression in a Sample of Mentally Retarded Children’s Mothers and Normal Children’s Mothers in Saudi Arabia

Abstract

The study aimed at identifying the relationship between pressing events in life as related to anxiety and depression in two samples of mothers- one of mentally retarded children and the other of normal children in Saudi Arabia. The sample consisted of 120 mothers, 60 were of normal children and the other 60 were of mentally retarded children. The Life Pressing Events Scale, Anxiety Scale, and Depression Scale were administered to the samples. Using appropriate statistical treatments involving t-tests and correlation coefficients, findings indicated that there is a positive and significant correlation between the dimensions of pressing life events and anxiety on the one hand and depression on the other in normal children’s mothers and in mentally retarded children’s mothers. Findings also showed statistically significant differences between normal children’s mothers and mentally retarded children’s mothers on anxiety, depression and life pressing events.