Investigation of parental stress, social support and quality of life in mothers of children with precocious puberty

Abstract

Objective To investigate the parental stress, social support and quality of life in mothers of children with precocious puberty, and to explore the impact of parental stress and social support on the quality of life. Methods A questionnaire survey of 96 mothers of children with precocious puberty was conducted using the Family Stress Index, Social Support Rating Scale and World Health Organization Quality of Life Survey (Chinese version) . Results The total score of parental stress and the scores of different dimensions in mothers with precocious puberty were significantly higher than those of normal parents (P<0.01) . The total score of social support of mothers with precocious puberty was significantly higher than that of domestic norm (P<0.01) . The scores of quality of life of mothers with precocious puberty were significantly lower than those of domestic norm in the field of physiology and psychology (P<0.01) . Negative correlation existed not only between parental stress and quality of life, but also between parental stress and social support. Positive correlation existed between social support and quality of life. Conclusions The mothers of children with precocious puberty have high parental pressure, high social support and low quality of life. There are correlations among the three dimensions. Offering health education and mental nursing can improve the compliance during the therapy and the quality of life of both children and family. Key words: Social support; Quality of life; Precocious puberty; Children; Mother; Parental stress