The Experience of Distress in Parents of Chronically Ill Children: Potential or Likely Outcome?

Abstract

Examines the effects of chronic illness on the parent dyad and the extent to which illness may contribute to parental distress. Specific emphasis is placed on factors that may contribute to variability in parents' experiences of distress or heighten their vulnerability to events associated with chronic childhood illness. Managing a chronically ill child may lead to multiple difficulties for parents which typically are not encountered by parents of healthy children. Despite intensive investigation of parental response to illness, there are significant gaps in understanding their adaptation to chronic childhood illness.