Sponsored by the National Institute on Aging                                                                                                           November 24, 2009
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Marsha Seltzer

Marsha Seltzer

Director, Waisman Center
University of Wisconsin-Madison
mseltzer@waisman.wisc.edu

The focus of Dr. Seltzer’s research is on the life course impacts of disability on the family. She is interested in how lifelong caregiving affects the well-being of parents and siblings of individuals with disabilities, including autism, Down syndrome, and schizophrenia. In addition, she has studied how the family environment affects the development of individuals with disabilities. Her research has been funded by the National Institute on Aging since 1990. With this support, she has conducted three lines of research.

First, with Marty Wyngaarden Krauss of Brandeis University, she has recently completed a 12-year study of aging families who had an adult son or daughter with mental retardation living at home when the study began. These families face a unique dual challenge: adjusting to the challenges of their own aging while at the same time continuing to have caregiving responsibilities for their son or daughter with retardation. The research examined the pattern of age-related changes and transitions in these families, how the changes affected the son or daughter with the disability, and the antecedents and consequences of out-of-home placement of the adult child.

A second line of research involves the comparison of parents of adults with developmental disabilities (most recently, autism) with parents of adults with schizophrenia, in collaboration with Jan Greenberg of the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Marty Krauss. These studies have elucidated the diagnosis-specific aspects of family caregiving by examining differences in the stress and coping process for parents whose children have either developmental disabilities or schizophrenia, and consequent differences in their well-being. Support for this line of research comes from grants from the National Institute on Aging and the National Institute of Mental Health.

Her third line of research traces the life course impacts of parenting a child with a disability through study of a unique cohort, the participants in the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study (WLS). In collaboration with Jan Greenberg and Frank Floyd of Georgia State University, this research analyzes data spanning over 40 years in the lives of parents who have a child with either developmental disabilities or schizophrenia. It is the only study to include pre-parenting measures as well as multiple follow-up points across the life course. This research is also funded by the National Institute on Aging.

Together, these studies offer specific insights about parenting a child with a disability, revealing both the stresses of this challenge and the resiliency of parents who cope successfully. In addition, her studies more generally address child effects on parents, revealing the bi-directional and reciprocal influences of parents and children on their unfolding and intersecting development across the life course.



Representative Publications
Hong, J., Seltzer, M.M., Greenberg, J.S., & Ha, J.H. (In Review)The effects of the onset of childhood developmental disorders on parents' mental and physical health. Journal of Family Psychology.

Hong, J., Seltzer, M.M., Smith, L.E., Greenberg, J.S., Almeida, D.M., & Coe, C. (In Review)Cortisol dysregulation in mothers of adolescents and adults with autism: The influence of longitudinal and concurrent measures of behavior problems. Journal of Autism & Developmental Disorders.

Seltzer, M. M., Abbeduto, L., Greenberg, J. S., Hong, J., Almeida, D. M., & Witt, W. (In Press)Biomarkers in the study of families of individuals with developmental disabilities. International Review of Research on Mental Retardation.

Seltzer, M.M., Almeida, D.M., Greenberg, J.S., Salva, J.S., Srawski, R.S., Hong, J., & Lounds, J. (2009). Daily stress and dysregulation of salivary cortisol in parents of children with disabilities: A report from the MIDUS Study. Journal of Health & Social Behavior, 50, 1-15.

Seltzer, M. M., Almeida, D. M., Greenberg, J., Savla, J., Stawski, R. S., Hong, J., & Taylor, J. L. (2009). Psychosocial and biological markers of daily lives of midlife parents of children with disabilities. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 50(1), 1-15.

Seltzer, M. M., Greenberg, J. S., Hong, J., Smith, L. E., Almeida, D. M., Coe, C., et al. (2009). Maternal cortisol levels and behavior problems in adolescents and adults with ASD. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders. DOI 10.1007/s10803-009-0887-0. 2009 Nov 5. [Epub ahead of print].

Smith, L. E., Hong, J., Seltzer, M. M., Greenberg, J., Almeida, D. M., & Bishop, S. (2009). Daily experiences among mothers of adolescents and adults with ASD. Journal of Autism & Developmental Disorders, DOI 1.1007/s10803-10009-10844-y [Epub ahead of print].

Ha, J.H., Hong, J., Seltzer, M.M., & Greenberg, J.S. (2008). Age and gender differences in the well-being of midlife and aging parents with children with mental health problems or development disorders: Report of a national study. Journal of Health & Social Behavior, 49(3), 301-316.

Seltzer, M. M., Floyd, F. J., Greenberg, J. S., Lounds, J., Lindstrom, M., & Hong, J. (2005). Life Course Impacts of Mild Intellectual Deficits. American Journal of Mental Retardation, 110: 451-468.

Seltzer, M. M., Greenberg, J. S., Floyd, F. J., & Hong, J. (2004). Accommodative coping and well-being of midlife parents of children with mental health problems or developmental disabilities. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 74: 187-195.

Abbeduto, L., Seltzer, M.M., Shattuck, P., Krauss, M.W., Orsmond, G., & Murphy, M.M. (2004). Psychological well-being and coping in mothers of youths with autism, Down syndrome, or fragile X syndrome. American Journal of Mental Retardation, 109, 237-254.

Parish, S.L., Seltzer, M.M., Greenberg, J.S., & Floyd, F.J. (2004). Economic implications of caregiving at midlife: Comparing parents of children with developmental disabilities to other parents. Mental Retardation, 42, 413-426.

Seltzer, M.M., Shattuck, P., Abbeduto, L., & Greenberg, J.S. (2004). The trajectory of development in adolescents and adults with autism. Mental Retardation Developmental Disabilities Research Reviews, 10, 234-247.

Orsmond, G. I., Seltzer, M. M., Krauss, M. W., and Hong, J. (2003). Behavior problems in adults with mental retardation and maternal well-being: Examination of the direction of effects. American Journal of Mental Retardation, 108: 257-271.

Seltzer, M.M., Krauss, M.W., Shattuck, P.T., Orsmond, G., Swe, A., & Lord, C. (2003). The symptoms of autism spectrum disorders in adolescence and adulthood. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 33, 565-581.

Seltzer, M. M., Krauss M. W. , Hong, J., & Orsmond, G. I. (2001). Continuity or Discontinuity of Family Involvement Following Residential Transitions of Adults Who Have Mental Retardation. Mental Retardation, 39: 181-194.

Hong, J., Seltzer, M. M., & Krauss, M. W. (2001). Change in social support and psychological well-being: A longitudinal study of aging mothers of adult children with mental retardation. Family Relations, 50:154-163.

Seltzer, M. M., Greenberg, J. S., Floyd, F. J., Pettee, Y., & Hong, J. (2001). Life course impacts of parenting a child with disability. American Journal on Mental Retardation, 106: 265-286.

Seltzer, M.M. & Krauss, M.W. (2001). Quality of life of adults with mental retardation/developmental disabilities who live with family. Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities Research Reviews, 7, 105-114.

Kling, K. C., Seltzer, M. M., & Ryff, C. D. (1997). Distinctive late life challenges: Implications for coping and well-being. Psychology and Aging, 12, 288-295.

Hong, J., & Seltzer, M. M. (1995). The psychological consequences of multiple roles: The nonnormative case. Journal of Health and Social Behavior 36: 386-398.