Workplace environment as a social determinant of well-being for mothers of children with intellectual and developmental disabilities

This mixed-method study examined family-supportive organization perceptions (FSOP) and family supportive supervisor behaviors (FSSB) as social determinants of well-being and work attitudes among 118 working mothers of children with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Quantitative analyses included weekly caregiving hours as a covariate. Greater caregiving hours were associated with greater family-work conflict and lower quality of life. Higher levels of FSOP were associated with lower family-work conflict and higher quality of life, and higher levels of FSSB were associated with greater affective organizational commitment and work engagement. Using reflexive thematic analysis, seven themes were captured by the qualitative data, highlighting specific workplace practices organizations can adopt to foster a supportive workplace for this worker population. The findings underscore the importance of family-supportive workplace practices in the lives of working mothers of children with intellectual and developmental disabilities.