Parenting stress and perceived stigma in mothers of young children with epilepsy: A case–control study

Symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress in parents of young children with epilepsy: A case controlled population-based study

Corrigendum

SYNOPSIS Objective. This study evaluates predictors of both general and context-specific parenting stress in a cross-sectional sample of hearing parents of young deaf and hearing children. Design. Participants were 181 children who were deaf and 92 children with normal hearing. Perceived parenting stress was measured using both general and context-specific measures. Predictors of parenting stress included parent-reported and observed child behavior problems and language delays. Results. After control for maternal education and family income, parents of deaf children reported more context-specific but not general parenting stress than parents of hearing children. Both parent-reported and observed behavior problems were higher in the deaf group compared with that in the hearing group. Children's hearing status related to child behavior problems by way of oral language delays. Furthermore, hearing status related to parenting stress by way of language delays and child behavior difficulties. Conclusions. Context-specific measures of parenting stress reflect unique challenges of this population. Both language delays and child behavior problems are associated with increased parenting stress. Identification of specific stressors related to parenting a deaf child helps to inform the development of early interventions.

SYNOPSIS Objective . Experiencing some degree of parenting stress is virtually unavoidable, particularly as children enter early adolescence and assert their independence. In this study, the authors examined how parenting stress attributed to the parent, the child, or the dyad changed in mean level and relative standing across their child's transition to adolescence. The authors also compared mothers and fathers from the same families in terms of parenting stress and explored how one parent's stress affected the other parent's stress. Design . Participants included 222 European American parents (111 mothers and 111 fathers), assessed when their children were 10 and 14 years old. Results . Parenting stress was highly stable from 10 to 14 years. Total parenting stress increased across time, and was attributable to stress due to increased parent–child dysfunctional interaction, not parental distress or stress due to child behavior. Mothers and fathers agreed moderately in their relative standing and in the average levels of parenting stress in the 3 different domains of parenting stress at each time point. Mothers' and fathers' stress across domains were sometimes related. Conclusions . Mothers' and fathers' increased parenting stress across their child's transition to adolescence seems to derive from parent–child interaction rather than qualities of the parent or the child per se. Finding ways to maintain parent–child communication and closeness may protect parents and families from increased stress during this vulnerable time.

Introduction. Parenting a child with Autistic Spectrum Condition (ASC) is both practically and emotionally challenging. The condition brings difficulties in communication and social interaction, as well as abnormal behaviour patterns, all of which have an impact upon parents. Method. As part of a larger study, one hundred mothers of children with ASC were asked to complete several scales including the Family Adaptation and Cohesion Evaluation Scale (FACES IV), and The Parenting Stress Index-Short form (PSI-SF). Results. The Parenting Stress Index scores showed that the mothers of the primary aged children felt very high levels of parental stress, and distress, while the mothers of secondary age children reported lesser levels. The FACES IV scores indicated that the sense of flexibility was higher in the mothers of adolescents, and that the families of girls were less cohesive than that of boys. Discussion. The highest level of parental stress was reported by the mothers of younger children, with the parenting of teenage girls being the most stressful. Conclusion. A family pattern which tends to seek smaller changes could reduce the sense of family distress that parents of children with ASC experience. As the children move into adolescence the mothers tend to feel less stressed, but less so for the mothers of teenage girls.

ObjectiveThe aim of the current study was to investigate the effect of methylphenidate‐osmotic release oral delivery system (MPH‐OROS) treatment on parenting stress in parents of children and adolescents with attention‐deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).MethodsFour hundred and ninety‐five children and adolescents (391 boys and 104 girls), aged 7 to 18 years who met the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fourth edition criteria for ADHD, were recruited at 48 psychiatric outpatient clinics across South Korea. Children's symptoms, parenting stress, and parental depression were assessed at baseline, week 4, and week 8 of MPH‐OROS treatment using the Korean version of the DuPaul's ADHD Rating Scale (ARS), the Beck's Depression Inventory (BDI), and the Parenting Stress Index, Short Form (PSI‐SF).ResultsWe found significantly decreased scores of ARS, parental BDI, and PSI‐SF from baseline to week 4 and from week 4 to week 8. Also, there were positive correlations among baseline PSI‐SF, ARS, and BDI scores. The changes in BDI and ARS scores were significantly associated with the PSI score changes, accounting for 20.1% and 10.0%, respectively.ConclusionsWe suggest that the increased parenting stress and depression in parents of children and adolescents with ADHD can be improved following the treatment with MPH‐OROS. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

The post-9/11 conflicts have taken a substantial toll on military families. Although positive effects of reintegration-focused programs are well-documented for service members, less is known about military spouses who are parents of young children. This article examines the outcomes of a formal reflective parenting program developed for military families who have very young children, and whether aspects of informal social support moderate spouse outcomes of anxiety, depression, and parenting stress. Data are drawn from a randomized, clinical trial (RCT) of 103 military families with children ages birth to 5 years of age. Structural equation models examined the main effects of the program and the relationship of 3 social support dimensions (perceived support, social connectedness and dyadic satisfaction) to program outcomes of interest. Analyses revealed a statistically significant reduction in anxiety in the treatment group, with a small effect size. No significant program effects emerged on parenting stress or depression. None of the social support dimensions was significantly associated with outcomes of interest. The interaction of dyadic support and treatment showed a significant moderate effect on parenting stress. Spouses with lower baseline satisfaction who were assigned to the treatment condition reported similar levels of parenting stress at baseline and posttest, whereas their counterparts in the waitlist condition reported significantly higher parenting stress at posttest compared with baseline. Findings suggest a targeted approach to preventive intervention for military spouses who are mothers of young children. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

Parental stress is related to child mental health problems, with numerous evidence indicating that it is an important predictor of parenting and parent-child relationship. New approaches to psychopathology could be particularly informative for clinical research, however, there is limited research that employs network analysis with parents. Network analysis could contribute to a better understanding of the relationship between child mental health problems and parental stress by highlighting the most central nodes and how the two constructs influence each other. The scope of the study was to identify potential new intervention targets to reduce the mental health problems of children and prevent contagion between parent stress and child psychopathology. Furthermore, we also sought to test whether the dynamic between parental stress and child psychopathology differs across the level of parent stress and child total difficulties. In this endeavor, we had three main directions. First, we estimated a network at the level of child mental health problems and identified the most central nodes. Second, we mapped the main paths through which parent stress and child mental health problems communicate with each other. Third, we investigated the network invariance across the level of parent stress (high vs moderate) and child mental health problems (low vs. high total difficulties). Participants (N = 1014) were parents of children with ages between four and 17 years old. The analyses were conducted in RStudio. Results indicated that perceived coping was a central node, bridging the two constructs. The global strength of the network was higher for parents who reported high levels of stress compared to those who reported only moderate levels of stress. In contrast, we found that the global strength of the network was lower for children with high levels of total difficulties compared to those with low levels of total difficulties. In conclusion, we argue the importance of focusing on the targeting nodes with high bridge centrality, such as perceived coping, for designing prevention and intervention programs. Future research should use temporal dynamics between parental stress and child mental health problems and explore mechanisms between the two constructs.Supplementary InformationThe online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12144-022-03520-1.

This study examined the longitudinal associations between child behavior problems, coping strategies, social resources, and parenting stress in mothers of young children with autism spectrum disorder. Participants were 283 mothers who completed self- and child-report measures at the time of diagnosis and 2 years later. Hierarchical multiple regression was conducted to predict overall parenting stress. At diagnosis, the final model indicated that high levels of social support and mothers' use of active engaged coping strategies were associated with lower levels of parenting stress. Conversely, high levels of child externalizing behavior problems, family dysfunction, and mothers' use of disengaged coping strategies were associated with higher parenting stress. Two years later, high levels of parenting stress at diagnosis predicted increased parenting stress. In addition, high or increasing levels of social support predicted a decrease in parenting stress, while high or increasing levels of family dysfunction predicted increased stress. Finally, increased use of disengaged coping strategies and decreased use of active coping strategies over time predicted higher levels of parenting stress. Results are discussed in terms of their implications for the provision of targeted supports that are designed to enhance the personal and social resources available to mothers of children with autism spectrum disorder.

Posttraumatic stress symptoms are prominent in the lives of parents of young children with substance use disorders (SUD). Parenting experiences, particularly stress and competence, impact parenting behaviors and concomitant child growth and development. Factors that promote positive experiences of parenting, such as parental reflective functioning (PRF), and protect the mother and child from negative outcomes are crucial to understand to develop effective therapeutic interventions. The current US study analyzed baseline data from a parenting intervention evaluation to examine how length of substance misuse, PRF, and trauma symptoms were associated with parenting stress and parenting sense of competence among mothers in treatment for SUDs. Measures included the Addiction Severity Index, PTSD Symptom Scale-Self Report, Parental Reflective Functioning Questionnaire, Parenting Stress Index/Short Form, and Parenting Sense of Competence Scale. The sample included 54 predominantly White mothers with SUDs who had young children. Two multivariate regression analyses found that (1) lower parental reflective functioning and higher posttraumatic stress symptoms were associated with higher parenting stress, and (2) only higher posttraumatic stress symptoms were associated with lower levels of parenting sense of competence. Findings underscore the importance of addressing trauma symptoms and PRF when aiming to improve parenting experiences for women with an SUD.

Studies pertaining to parental stress and parental psychopathology in parents of children with Intellectual Disability and Developmental Disabilities. However, information involving the effect of disability on the parents of children with Specific Learning Disability and Slow Learners is very sparse. The current study was undertaken to understand the extent and determinants of parenting stress in parents of children with Intellectual Disability (ID), Specific Learning Disability (SLD) and Slow Learners (SL). Parents of 24 children with mild Intellectual Disability, 23 children with SLD, and 10 SL were studied. They were evaluated using ‘PSI-4 SF’ in relation to total parenting stress, parental distress, parent-child dysfunctional interaction and difficult child in comparison with the child’s adaptive behavior and other child and parent variables. The data was analyzed using One-Way ANOVA, Duncan’s Multiple Range Test, Product Moment Correlation, and t-Test. Results indicate that total parenting stress, parental distress, and parent-child dysfunctional interaction was significantly higher in the group of parents of children with Intellectual Disability as compared to parents of children with SLD and Slow Learners. Correlation between total parenting stress and adaptive behavior was observed when all the three conditions were taken as a single group.

This study was designed to examine the roles of neighborhood social cohesion and parenting stress in influencing maternal mental health outcomes among primarily low-income, unmarried, urban mothers. Structural equation modeling was conducted using cross-sectional Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study data (N=3,876), to test the hypotheses that neighborhood social cohesion would be associated with depression and anxiety among mothers with children aged 3 years and that this relationship would be mediated by parenting stress. The mediation model demonstrated good fit, χ2 (796)=3169.07, p<.001; comparative fit index=0.96; root mean square error of approximation=0.028 [90% confidence interval [0.027, 0.029]. Parenting stress partially mediated the effect of social cohesion on maternal depression (indirect effect: -0.04, p<0.001) and anxiety (indirect effect: -0.05, p<0.001); higher reported neighborhood social cohesion was associated with lower parenting stress, which was associated with a decreased likelihood of maternal anxiety and depression. Efforts to bolster neighborhood social cohesion may improve maternal mental health outcomes by reducing parenting stress.

Self-reported parental stress was investigated in three samples of mothers with small children, using a Swedish version of the Parenting Stress Index (PSI). Dimensionality in experienced stress using items from six PSI Parent Domain subscales and eight new items was examined in factor analyses of data from a nationwide representative sample. Cross-validation proved the chosen factor pattern to be stable. Based on an oblique 5-factor solution new subscales were constructed. A second order factor analysis indicated influence from a higher order factor, seen as a general parental stress construct. High alpha coefficients revealed that homogeneous subscales had been formed. Test-retest correlations indicated good stability over a mean time period of 30 days. Influences from maternal background variables were found, but no relation to child age or gender. Global estimates of parental stress, reported child problems, mothers' scoring on the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale and two measures of social support all correlated significantly with overall parental stress, and with some subscales. The justification of the subscale approach to parental stress was discussed. It was concluded that the PSI in its present form could be used as a reliable and valid instrument for measuring experienced parental stress in mothers of young children.

Introduction: Depressive risk is higher for mothers of infants with chronic medical conditions. The present study examined maternal depressive risk and associations with parent and child outcomes among mothers of young children who were randomized to either prenatal or postnatal surgical closure for myelomeningocele. Methods: Using the Management of Myelomeningocele Study database, maternal depressive risk was examined at 3 time points as follows: prior to birth, 12 months, and 30 months post birth. Separate multivariate analyses examined associations among change in depressive risk (between baseline and 30 months), parenting stress, and child outcomes at 30 months. Results: Mean scores were in the minimal depressive risk range at all the time points. Post birth depressive risk did not differ by prenatal versus postnatal surgery. Mean change scores reflected a decrease in depressive risk during the first 30 months. Only 1.1–4.5% of mothers reported depressive risk in the moderate to severe range across time points. Increased depressive risk during the first 30 months was associated with increased parenting stress scores and slightly lower child cognitive scores at 30 months. Conclusion: Most mothers reported minimal depressive risk that decreased over time, regardless of whether their infant underwent prenatal or postnatal surgery. Only a small percentage of mothers endorsed moderate to severe depressive risk, but an increase in depressive risk over time was associated with higher parental stress and slightly lower child cognitive development.

PurposeParents are seen to mediate media behavior of their children to protect them from negative and undesirable effects of advertising. In doing so, they either restrict TV viewing by children or actively discuss ad content with children. The nature of mediation strategy to be used depends upon the age of their children. The purpose of this study is to uncover the nature of mediation strategies used by mothers of younger and older children in India. The findings and implications of the study are further discussed.Design/methodology/approachData were collected from three cities of Punjab state of India – Amritsar, Jalandhar and Ludhiana and its capital city of Chandigarh during the period November 2010 to June 2011. The mothers were the basic sampling unit for the present study as they are seen to be the primary caregivers for children. Parents of children in eight schools (two from each city), were approached through the schools. The children were asked to take the questionnaire home and get it filled by their mother. Parental mediation of food advertising was measured through a parental advertising mediation scale developed by Valkenburg et al.FindingsThe results of the present study reveal that mothers of Indian children resort to mediation of ads in general and food ads in particular. The nature of mediation is also governed by age of children. Mothers of older children primarily use active advertising mediation and mothers of younger children use restrictive mediation strategies. It is also seen that mothers mediate the exposure of food ads more strongly in younger children as compared to older children.Originality/valueAlthough vast literature exists about parental mediation of advertising to children, hardly any study has been conducted in India to investigate the nature of parental mediation of advertising to children. The present study adds to the existing literature by delving into this aspect in the Indian settings. More so, as age of children is witnessed to affect nature of parental mediation, this study also sheds light on the way parents in India mediate exposure of children to TV ads.