Featured Article: Depressive Symptoms in Parents of Children With Chronic Health Conditions: A Meta-Analysis.

Abstract

Caring for children with chronic health conditions is associated with stressors that may impair mental health. The goal of our meta-analysis was to analyze depressive symptoms among parents who care for a child or adolescent with chronic physical disease and/or sensory disability and/or physical disability compared with parents of healthy children or test norms. A systematic search through electronic databases identified 460 relevant studies that were included in a random-effects meta-analysis. Parents of children with chronic conditions showed small to moderate elevations of depressive symptoms compared with parents of healthy/nondisabled children and test norms (g = .46 SD units). Twelve studies using structured clinical interviews provided a weighted mean depression rate of 20.9%. The highest elevations were found among parents of young people with neuromuscular disorders, cancer, and cerebral palsy. Elevations of depressive symptoms were greater in cases with shorter durations of the chronic condition, in mothers compared with fathers, and in parents from economically less developed countries rather than developed countries. Parents of children with chronic conditions, particularly parents of children with neuromuscular disorders, cancer, and cerebral palsy, should be screened for depression and receive psychosocial services aimed at reducing these symptoms, if needed.