Childhood Chronic Illness as a Family Stressor

TLDR

The study examined how a child’s chronic illness affects family dynamics and the child’s psychological adjustment. The authors conducted semi‑structured interviews with 30 mothers of children with asthma or diabetes and 30 mothers of healthy peers, assessing family functioning, external social support, and child stress events to relate them to the child’s psychological outcomes. Mothers of children with asthma reported higher internalizing problems, lower perceived social support, and more stressful events, and regression analyses linked family functioning, maternal support, and chronic illness to the child’s psychological adjustment, underscoring family functioning and resources as protective factors.

Abstract

Investigated the impact of childhood chronic illness within a family context. We interviewed 30 mothers of 6- to 14-year-old children with asthma or diabetes and 30 mothers of healthy children of the same age and sex. Family functioning, extrafamilial social support available to mothers, and child life stress events were examined in relation to the children's psychological adjustment and illness events. The mothers of asthmatic children reported a greater number of internalizing behavior problems in their children, perceived their own social support as less adequate, and reported a greater number of stressful events. Regression analyses demonstrated that family functioning, maternal social support, and chronic illness were significantly related to the psychological adjustment of the child. The importance of family functioning and resources available to the family, such as social support, are discussed as protective influences in coping with childhood chronic illness.