Finding Meaning and Hope: Spiritual and Religious Experiences of Mothers of Children with Down Syndrome

This phenomenological study with six mothers of adult children with Down syndrome explored the influence of spirituality and religiosity on the meaning-making of their child’s diagnosis and hope for the future, both of which mediate parent stress. Previous research on this topic has addressed the experiences of parents of young children with various disabilities from diverse cultural backgrounds, but there is no recent research on this topic among American Christian mothers of adult children with Down syndrome. In this study, each mother participated in four interviews, and the researcher used Colaizzi’s (Citation1978) seven-step analytical approach to examine the data. The findings are reflected in two primary themes and six subthemes. The first theme was why us? as mothers pondered the reasons and purpose of their child’s genetic disorder, and three subthemes were identified: (1) condemning judgment, (2) God-chosen mother of child gift, and (3) purposeful personhood. The second theme was future-oriented conflictions as mothers grappled between their faith in God and self-determination, and three subthemes were identified: (1) fear of loss and death, (2) faith in God’s plan, and (3) planning and self-reliance. The results of this study are discussed within a cultural and religious context.