Catherine Backman, Professor and Head of the Department of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy, describes a study that examined how mothers with inflammatory types of arthritis are able to cope with the demands of parenting.
Her study, which involved in-depth interviews and a questionnaire given to a large sample of mothers (some of whom had arthritis and some of whom didn’t), found that mothers with arthritis are twice as tired as those who don’t have the condition, and are less likely to work outside the home — thus leading to lower household income.