PURPOSE: This study explored role identity, role value, quality of life, and other factors in relation to children with disabilities living in Korea, as well as family characteristics and their relationships in main parent caregivers of children with and without disabilities.

RATIONALE: Although there is a well-developed body of knowledge on roles from studies that examined role identification differences among individuals with and without disabilities, changes in the roles, and the relationship between health and quality of life (QOL), little is known about how parent caregivers’ roles and quality of life evolve as children with disabilities grow up. Additionally, little is known about how the severity of the children’s disabilities affects the parent caregivers.

DESIGN: This survey study used a purposive sampling method and a snowball sampling method to solicit parent caregivers of children with and without disabilities, respectively. Then we used the Role Checklist and the Korean version of the World Health Organization QOL–BREF as part of a survey for the study. Of the 360 questionnaire distributed, 239 were returned, yielding a response rate of 66.3%.

ANALYSIS: Descriptive statistics along with inferential statistics were utilized

RESULTS: When we compared QOL between the two groups, QOL was significantly different in all areas (p < .01); the QOL of main parent caregivers of children with disabilities was reported as lower than that of the other group.

Caregivers of children with more severe disabilities had, on average, one more role than caregivers of children with mild disabilities and indicated higher QOL. When parent caregivers were compared regarding age of their children, parent caregivers of children ages 2–7 yr had lower psychological and physical QOL; parent caregivers of children ages 8–13 yr indicated a lower social QOL; and caregivers of children ages 14–18 yr indicated a lower level of physical QOL.

In addition, when we looked at the relationship between role values and QOL perceived by main parent caregivers, we found no correlation with main parent caregivers of children with disabilities (p > .05), but there was a positive relationship between the extent to which main parent caregivers of children without disabilities valued their worker roles and their reported QOL (r = .23, p < .01).

DISCUSSION: First, the findings of this study provided empirical evidence that practitioners should pay attention to the QOL of not only the children with disabilities but also their parent caregivers during occupational therapy services. Facilitating role identification and exploring various meaningful roles by main parent caregivers who comprise the primary social environment for children will likely enhance their QOL, which might, in turn, positively affect the QOL of the children. A keen focus on leisure life aspects of the main parent caregivers of children with disabilities would be warranted.

IMPACT STATEMENT: Collectively, the findings of this study stress and document the need for more attention and customized intervention plans for children with disabilities and their family as a unit for the service delivery.