Family Resources and Parental Health in Families of Children With Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy

Abstract

This study was based on two models, namely, the resiliency model of family stress, adjustment, and adaptation and the model for family stressors, resources, and function. Family resources, such as family hardiness and support, have previously been shown to improve family adaptation. There is little evidence for the potential buffering effects of family resources on parental health in families of children with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). This article reports on relationships among family support, family hardiness, severity of child disability, and parental perceptions of child health status variables and their influence on parental health in families of children with DMD in Taiwan. A total of 126 parents, all with children suffering from DMD, were recruited for this study. Associations between child health status, age at diagnosis, demographics, and family resource variables were examined using Pearson linear correlation, linear regression, and causal modeling. Parental employment and education, perceived child health, family hardiness, and family support were found to correlate with parental health. Age at diagnosis correlated with family hardiness but not directly with parental health. Nursing intervention to promote family hardiness and support can help maintain parental health and promote family adaptation in the face of a child's chronic disease. Caregiving programs should also promote parental health by enhancing family hardiness and support. Family members' support through health promotion, psychological and spiritual care, financial support, and convenient community services can lead to better parental health and contribute to overall family health and adaptation.