Parental Stress and Maladjustment in Children with Short Stature

Abstract

This study examined the psychometric properties of a measure of chronic disease-related parental stress, the Pediatric Inventory for Parents (PIP), in a sample of 22 children with short stature. Additionally, we investigated relations among disease-related parental stress, parental state anxiety, and children's behavioral and psychological maladjustment. Results demonstrated acceptable internal consistency and convergent validity for the PIP. Significant and positive relations of medium to large effect sizes between parenting stress and internalizing and externalizing maladjustment were found. Recommendations for use of the PIP in clinical settings and future research directions are discussed.