Family environment

Several topics were evaluated to investigate the environment in which CSHCN and their families function in Iowa. For this report, results are included for:

• participation in extracurricular activities
• marital status and satisfaction
• substance use/abuse in the household

Most children in Iowa (83%) over the age of 4 participated in activities such as clubs, team sports, band or a religious group. CSHCN were about as likely to participate in these activities as other children (81% vs 84%). Although ninety percent of Iowa's children had parents who reported knowing all or most of their child's friends, parents of CSHCN were less likely to report knowing all or most of their child's friends (84% vs 91%).

Although most marital relationships acheived high satisfaction ratings, CSHCN were more likely to have parents who were less satisfied with their marital situation. Seventy-nine percent of CSHCN lived in a household where the parent rated the quality of their relationship with their spouse or partner as either excellent or very good compared to 86% of children without special needs. Five percent of CSHCN had parents who rated their relationship as fair or poor compared to 3% of other children.

Ten percent of all children lived in a household where substance use was reported to be a problem. However, 16 percent of CSHCN were in a household with a reported substance use problem compared with nine percent of children without special needs. Substance abuse was also more likley to be a 'big' problem in the households of CSHCN (6% vs 3%).