Family Functioning and Social Support in the Adaptation of Caregivers of Children With Sickle Cell Syndromes

Objective: To examine moderating effects of family functioningand social support on the relationship of child-related stressorsto caregivers' psychological adaptation in a sample of caregiversof children with a chronic illness. Method: Participants were 67 caregivers of children and adolescentswith sickle cell syndromes. We conducted MANOVAs and subsequenteffect size calculations to determine if family functioningwould buffer the effects of caring for difficult-to-manage childrenwith this illness. Results: Findings supported a moderator effect of family functioningon the association of children's externalizing behavioral problemsto caregivers symptoms of hostility. Greater levels of cohesiveand adaptive family functioning buffered the potential detrimentaleffects of caring for children perceived as hard to manage.No significant associations were obtained between measures ofcaregivers' psychological adaptation and the severity of theirchildren's disease. Conclusions: We make recommendations for family systems interventions,particularly for caregivers of children with behavior problems.     

Maternal Child-Rearing Behavior in Three Groups: Cystic Fibrosis, Insulin-Dependent Diabetes Mellitus, and Healthy Children

Compared child-rearing behaviors among mothers of children (ages4–14) with cystic fibrosis (CF) (N = 26), insulin-dependentdiabetes mellitus (IDDM) (N = 26), and mothers of physicallyhealthy children (N = 26), on six domains, including involvement,limit setting, responsiveness, reasoning and guidance, freeexpression, and intimacy using the Iowa Parent Behavior Inventory.Maternal Reports of their child-rearing behavior were comparableacross the three groups with one exception: Mothers of childrenwith chronic illnesses (CF and IDDM) were significantly lesslikely to set limits than mothers of healthy children. The presentfindings are consistent with those of other studies that haveidentified few differences in child-rearing practices betweenmothers of children with chronic illnesses and mothers of healthychildren. Future research should identify situation-specificparenting tasks unique to childhood chronic illness.