Determining the quality of life, depression, anxiety, and burnout levels of parents of children with special needs

Aim: Having a child with special needs reshapes families daily lives and social roles; meanwhile, parents psychological well-being plays a decisive role in family functioning and in processes related to meeting the child's developmental needs. This study aims to evaluate the quality of life, depression, anxiety, and burnout levels of parents of children with special needs; to examine the relationship between these variables and parents' sociodemographic characteristics; and to identify differences between mothers and fathers. Method: The study was conducted with 102 parents of children with special needs (64.7% mothers; 35.3% fathers). Depression and anxiety levels were assessed using the BDI and BAI; psychiatric symptom severity was evaluated with the BSI; burnout levels were measured with the MBI; and quality of life was assessed with the WHOQOL-BREF. Sociodemographic data were collected through a structured information form. Group comparisons were performed using parametric and non-parametric tests, and relationships between variables were examined using correlation analyses. Results: Mothers had significantly higher levels of depression, anxiety, psychiatric symptoms, and burnout compared to fathers, while their quality-of-life scores were lower. Increases in depression and anxiety were associated with decreases in all domains of quality of life (physical, psychological, social, and environmental). Emotional exhaustion showed a positive relationship with psychiatric symptom severity and a negative relationship with quality of life. Although fathers were also affected, mothers were found to be at greater psychosocial risk. Additionally, sociodemographic characteristics (child's gender, level of care required, parents' education level, economic status, etc.) were found to influence psychological symptom severity and burnout. Conclusion: Elevated levels of depression, anxiety, and burnout among parents of children with special needs negatively and multidimensionally affect their quality of life. The findings indicate that mothers, as the primary caregivers, are particularly vulnerable. Therefore, routine psychosocial assessment in primary healthcare settings—especially family medicine—early intervention programs, stress-management training, and strengthened social support mechanisms are essential. The findings are expected to contribute to the development of psychosocial support practices for families of children with special needs.