Vol.

II (LXIV)
No. 1/2012

153 - 158

Study on the history of immigration and fathers job in

families with more than one disabled child (mental and
physical retardation) in Isfahan city
Majid Mehr Mohammadia, Sirous Ahmadib,c*
a

Department of Psychology, Behbahan Branch, Islamic Azad University, Behbahan, Iran

b
School of Exercise and Sport Science, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia
c
United Nurses Agency, Sydney, Australia

Abstract
Background: Social factors have an important role in the formation of disabilities and mental and
physical disorders.
Methods: This is a descriptive-analytic study. Samples were 494 mothers who had more than one
disabled child or normal children and were selected by simple and multistage randomizing method.
Data collection tool was a researcher made questionnaire.
Results: There was a significant relation between fathers job and belonging to the group (p = 0.000),
and immigration history, fathers job and belonging to the group (p = 0.04).
Conclusions: There was a significant relation between immigration history, fathers job and belonging
to the group (p = 0.04) which means the interaction between immigration history and fathers job
would increase the risk for having a disabled child (intellectual and physical-mobility disabilities).
Keywords: disabled; special needs; disability; immigration; job; physical and intellectual disability;
mentally retarded

1. Introduction
Biological, mental, socio-cultural factors of a society could cause and extend
disabilities and socio-psychological traumas in families with disabled children. Social
environments could have an important role in causing disabilities and abnormalities.
History of immigration and fathers job are two of these social factors. Fathers job is
one of the factors that could increase the risk of having a disabled or abnormal child.
For instance, it has been reported that children with cleft lip and palate, neural tube
abnormalities and heart hypoplasia mostly had fathers who were painters, children
with heart diseases mostly had fathers who were working in wood industry, children
with down syndrome mostly had fathers who were welders or painters, children with
leukemia mostly had fathers who were farmers or painters, and children with spina
bifida mostly had farmer fathers. Blatter and Roeleveld (1996) in their study
concluded that parents job could increase the risk of having a disabled child. Besides,
fathers job indicates the family income and social level to some extent. This means
that when someone has a low level job, he/she has a low income and is in a lower
economical level; this affects the quality and quantity of mothers' and fetuss nutrition
and health and would also decrease the accessibility to physicians and medicine,
where needed. Also parents job can be influenced by the presence of a disabled child,
meaning that taking care of a disabled child can cause one of the parents to lose their
job or their extra hours at work. This would also negatively affect parents promotions
* Corresponding author:
E-mail address: ahmadi1153ir@yahoo.com

Majid Mehr Mohammadi, Sirous Ahmadi /Journal of Educational Sciences & Psychology

at work and their attempt for reaching higher positions. Having more than one
disabled child would affect parents ability to work and get employed and would
increase the rate of unemployment in these families. These parents, in comparison to
those with normal or one disabled child, usually dont have permanent jobs and
mostly work part time. Also these parents usually have less professional jobs than
parents of normal children. Shariati and Davarmanesh (1996) in a study concluded
that the rate of fathers unemployment is higher in families with one disabled child
than families with normal children. Hejazi (2009) revealed that the highest percentage
of unemployed people are parents of more than one disabled child, parents of one
disabled child and parents of normal children, respectively. With regard to the type of
parents job, Mohammady and dadkhah (2002) reported that there was a significant
relation between being self-employed and social problems of parents of disabled
children. In other words, self-employment has more social problems for parents of
disabled children than governmental jobs like being a teacher. Other than fathers job,
another important social factor in etiology of disability is the history of familys
immigration. Mostly people of smaller cities and villages immigrate to bigger cities to
find better job opportunities. Ahmadian and Jahani (2002) in a study found that
finding a better and more appropriate job for the head of the family is the main reason
of immigration in Khorasan Province of Iran. Tayebi Nia (2009) in his study
concluded that the increased rate of immigration to Tehran would increase the rate of
employment. Movaseghi Jadidi and Khatoon Abadi (2009) in their study revealed that
the most important factors for immigration of the residents of Marand city in Isfahan
province to other cities are respectively: 1) having more income and a better job; 2)
health and welfare facilities and equipments; 3) access to educational and health
services and facilities. These factors could increase the immigration from villages and
small cities to big cities and capitals. In other words, many families immigrate from
their hometown to capitals to access educational and health services and facilities.
This could increase disabilities, or in other words the concentration of vulnerable
families, in the capital cities. Hejazi (2009) in his study revealed that families with
more than one disabled child have history of immigration more than families with one
disabled child or normal child.
This study is aimed to assess the effect of familys history of immigration and
fathers job on having disabled children.
2. Methodology
This is a descriptive-analytical study. The study population was parents with more
than one disabled child (intellectual and physical-mobility disabilities) from urban and
rural area of Isfahan city. In this study intellectual disability means mental retardation
and physical-mobility disability means cerebral palsy, paralysis, congenital
dislocation of hip, dystrophy, etc. Parents with more than one disabled child were in
the target group and parents with more than one normal child were in the comparison
group. These parents were selected by permission of The Welfare Organization of
Isfahan and Health Network No. 1 and 2 of Isfahan and based on the list that these
centers provided for the researchers in 2010. Study population was totally consisted of
494 parents; 247 of them had more than one disabled child and the other 247 had
more than one normal child. Sample size could be justified based on the size of the
statistical population and models. Parents with disabled children were selected by
simple random method and parents with normal children were selected by multistage
random method from urban and rural areas of Isfahan city in 2010. The case groups
participants were selected from parents who at least have two disabled children. In
selecting the samples, parents of disabled children and normal children were matched
in number of children and geographic area of living. Data collection tool was a
researcher made questionnaire. This questionnaire was validated by 7 specialists so it
has content validity. Also its reliability was calculated to be 0.88 by Richardson
method. Since history of parents immigration, fathers job, and having a disabled
child in this study are from nominal class variables, hierarchical log-linear method

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Majid Mehr Mohammadi, Sirous Ahmadi /Journal of Educational Sciences & Psychology

which is the best method for analyzing discrete multivariate data was used in this
study. Using this method, main effects, bilateral, and three-way ties were assessed.
Data were analyzed using SPSS 16. Data were gathered through individual and
verbal interviews with parents.
3. Results
Descriptive results (Table 1) on parents with more than one disabled child show
that 68.8% of them did not have history of immigration; 18.6% of these fathers were
laborer, 3.8% had office jobs, 26.2% non-governmental jobs, 12.4% were retired.
From the other 32.4% that had a history of immigration, 5% of fathers were
unemployed, 6.2% were laborer, 1.2% had office jobs, 14.2% had non-governmental
jobs, and 5.8% were retired. Descriptive results on parents with normal children show
that (Table 1) 70.4% of them did not have history of immigration; 1.6% of these
fathers were unemployed, 6.6% were laborer, 15.4% had office jobs, 40.6% had nongovernmental jobs, and 6.2% were retired. Also 28.2% of them had a history of
immigration. Of them 5.4% of fathers were laborer, 7.4% had office jobs, 12.4% had
non-governmental jobs, and 3% were retired.
The results of the analytical tests (Table 2) show that at least one of the main
effects, bilateral or three-way ties had a statistical significant meaning. Also results
about variables interactions (Table 3) show that there was a significant relation
between fathers job and being in the group and between history of immigration and
fathers job and being in the group. But analyses could not find any significant
relation between history of immigration and being in the group and between history of
immigration and fathers job. At the end, these interactions could not confirm any
relation between variables.
Table 1. Frequency distribution of parents according to their history of immigration and fathers job in
both groups

Parents

History of
immigration

No

Percent

Frequency

Percent

Unemployed

19

7.8

12.3

5.2

Laborer

45

18.6

31.4

13

Office job

3.8

23.6

9.8

governmental

more than
one
disabled
child
Yes

normal
children

No

63

26.2

79.4
33

Retired

30

12.4

23.3

Unemployed

12

5.3

9.6
2.2

Laborer

15

6.2

13.6

5.6

Office job

1.2

10.3

4.2

Nongovernmental

Having

Expected

Frequency

NonHaving

Observed

Fathers job

34

14.2

34.5

14.4

Retired

12

5.8

10.1

4.2

Unemployed

1.6

12

Laborer

16

6.6

30.6

12.8

Office job

37

15.4

23

9.6

Non-

98

40.6

77.4

32.2

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Majid Mehr Mohammadi, Sirous Ahmadi /Journal of Educational Sciences & Psychology

governmental
Retired

15

6.2

22.7

9.4

Unemployed

5.2

2.2

Laborer

13

5.4

93.3

5.6

Office job

18

7.4

10

4.2

Yes

Non-

30

governmental
Retired

12.4

33.6

14

9.9

Table 2. Models of multi-way and higher effects

Degree of
k

Likelihood ratio

freedom

G2

Sig

Pearson
2

Sig

Multi-way

19

362.6

0.000

429.9

0.000

and higher

13

88.06

80.5

effects

10.55

0.000
0.03

9.53

0.000
0.04

274.5

0.000

349.4

0.000

77.5

0.000

70.9

0.000

10.55

0.03

9.53

0.04

Multi-way
effects

Table 3. Coefficient matches between being in the group, history of immigration and fathers job

G2

Effects

Degree of freedom

Significance

0.5

0.000

0.97

0.07

0.78

of 76.9

0.000

0.000

Being in the group 0.458

history

of

immigration
Bering in the group 76
fathers job
History

of 0.59

immigration

fathers job
Being in the group
History
immigration
Fathers job

197.5

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Majid Mehr Mohammadi, Sirous Ahmadi /Journal of Educational Sciences & Psychology

4. Discussions
Descriptive results showed that 32.4% of parents with disabled children and 28.2%
of parents with normal children had a history of immigration. Considering the jobs of
fathers with disabled children, 12.8% were unemployed, 24.8% were laborer, 40.4%
were non-governmental employee, and 18.2% were retired. And for the fathers of
normal children, 12% were laborer, 22.8% have office jobs, 53% have nongovernmental jobs, and 9.3% were retired. So the number of unemployed, laborer and
retired fathers was higher than those with disabled children. Data analysis showed that
at least one of the main effects, bilateral, or three-way ties had a statistically
significant meaning. Also, the results showed that there was a significant relation
between the fathers job and being in the group, and between fathers job and history
of immigration and being in the group. Blatter and Roeleveld (1996) in their study
reported that parents job would affect the possibility of having a disabled child.20
Studies of Nokhostin Davari et al (2004),21 Hashemi et al (2008),22 Blatter and
Roeleveld (1996),23 Shea and Bauer (1991),24 Meinert et al (200),25 are all
consistent with these results and have concluded that fathers job would affect the
possibility of having a disabled child. In addition, Shea and Bauer have reported that
having a disabled child would disturb familys economical status, and bring up
emotional issues; also the disabled child needs more care and protection.26 Taking
care of a disabled child may cause parents to lose their jobs and reduce their extra
times at work. This would affect parents job promotions.27 Also studies of Lawton
(1998),28 Blatter and Roeleveld (1996),29 Shea and Bauer (1991),30 Tozer and
Robina (1999),31 Tours and Shu (1999),32 Naser Shariati and Davar Manesh
(1996),33 Mohammadi and Dadkhah (2002),34 Nokhostin Davari et al (2004),35 and
Hejazi (2009) 36 are all consistent with the present study and have concluded that the
rate of being unemployed or having a non-governmental or low leveled job like being
a laborer or having hard jobs are higher amongst fathers who have disabled children.
Also considering the significant relation between fathers job, history of immigration
and being in the group, Ahmadian and Jahani (2002) have mentioned that finding an
appropriate job by the head of the family is the main reason for
immigration.37Finding an appropriate job, access to welfare and medical facilities
and services and access to educational services and facilities are the main reason of
immigration to bigger cities. In other words, many families immigrate to reach better
health and educational facilities. This could increase disabilities, or increase the
concentration of vulnerable families, in capital cities.38 Hejazi (2009) reported that
the rate of immigration in families with more than one disabled child is higher than
families with one disabled child or families with normal children 39; also the number
of unemployed parents is higher in these families than the other two. This study is in
consistence with the present study and has concluded that the rate of immigration for
finding an appropriate job for the father is higher among families with disabled
children. The results of the present study were not sufficient for concluding a
significant relation between having a history of immigration and being in the group
and between having a history of immigration and fathers job. In conclusion, it can be
noted that being employed or unemployed and the type of parents job could affect the
possibility of having a disabled child. In addition, having a disabled child could
increase the rate of immigration to find an appropriate job for the head of the family.
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