1. Parental Psychosocial Distress in Pediatric Sickle Cell Disease and Chronic Pain
- Author
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Carlton Dampier, Soumitri Sil, Kerri E Woodward, Yelena L Johnson, and Lindsey L. Cohen
- Subjects
Male ,Parents ,Adolescent ,Family functioning ,Psychological intervention ,Anemia, Sickle Cell ,Disease ,03 medical and health sciences ,0302 clinical medicine ,Quality of life (healthcare) ,Developmental and Educational Psychology ,Humans ,Medicine ,Child ,Parenting ,business.industry ,Chronic pain ,medicine.disease ,Sickle cell anemia ,Distress ,030220 oncology & carcinogenesis ,Pediatrics, Perinatology and Child Health ,Quality of Life ,Female ,Chronic Pain ,business ,Psychosocial ,030217 neurology & neurosurgery ,Regular Articles ,Clinical psychology - Abstract
Background Pediatric sickle cell disease (SCD) management can result in considerable caregiver distress. Parents of youth with chronic SCD pain may face the additional challenge of managing children’s chronic pain and chronic illness. This study examined associations between parent psychological distress and child functioning and the moderating role of chronic pain among youth with SCD. Methods Youth presenting to pediatric outpatient comprehensive SCD clinics and their primary caregivers completed a battery of questionnaires. Parents reported on parenting stress, parent mental and physical health, and family functioning. Children completed measures of pain characteristics, depressive symptoms, catastrophic thinking, functional disability, and quality of life. Results Patients (N = 73, Mage = 14.2 years, 57% female) and their caregivers (Mage = 41.1 years, 88% mothers, 88% Black) participated. Worse parent functioning was associated with worse child pain, functioning, quality of life, and depressive symptoms. Beyond the effects of SCD, chronic SCD pain magnified the negative associations between parenting stress frequency and child quality of life, parent physical health and child quality of life, and parent depressive symptoms and child depressive symptoms. Conclusions Chronic pain may exacerbate the relations between parent and child functioning beyond the effects of SCD alone. The management of both SCD and chronic pain may present additional challenges for parents that limit their psychosocial functioning. Family-focused interventions to support parents and youth with chronic SCD pain are warranted to optimize health outcomes.
- Published
- 2021