Article

The aim of this study was to describe stress in the parents of children with
cerebral palsy and investigate associations with very high stress. METHOD: A
cross-sectional survey was conducted of parents of 818 children aged 8 to 12
years from nine regions in Europe. Families were eligible to participate if they
were living in one of the specified geographic areas. Parental stress was
captured using the Parenting Stress Index Short Form, which has 36 items and
takes 10 minutes to complete. Parents rate items on a 5-point Likert scale, with
higher scores indicating higher stress. The Short Form yields scores on three
subscales and a Total Stress score. A trained research associate administered the
questionnaire in the child's home and visits lasted 90 to 120 minutes. All data
collected were reported by parents unless otherwise stated. RESULTS: The Total
Stress score on the Parenting Stress Index was dichotomized into scores of less
than 99 or 99 or more, the latter indicating 'very high' stress. Most respondents
were mothers (94%), and 26% reported very high stress levels. The parents of
children with communication impairment had higher odds for very high stress (odds
ratio [OR] 1.9; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.2-3.0) than those whose child had
no such impairment; the parents of children with moderate or severe pain had
higher odds for very high stress (OR 1.7 [95% CI 1.1-2.4] and 2.5 [95% CI
1.5-4.3] respectively) than those whose child had no pain; and the parents of
children with an intellectual impairment had higher odds for very high stress (OR
1.8; 95% CI 1.2-2.9) than those whose child had none. There was no association
between very high stress and motor impairment. The subscales 'parent-child
dysfunctional interaction' and 'difficult child' contributed most to the Total
Stress score. INTERPRETATION: Parents of children with communication
difficulties, intellectual impairment, or pain are at very high risk of stress.
The final model explained 12% of the observed variation in very high stress.
CI - (c) The Authors. Developmental Medicine & Child Neurology (c) 2011 Mac Keith
Press.

Langue : ANGLAIS