Relationship between parenting stress and family functioning recognized by mothers of young children with asthma

Abstract

 PURPOSE : This study aimed to clarify the relationships between parenting stress, as recognized by mothers of young children with asthma, and family functioning and social background.

 METHODS : Participants were mothers of young children with asthma. The children were between 1 and 6 years old and all had a history of asthma or asthmatic bronchitis for more than 6 months. The participants were recruited from hospitals and a self-help group. The mothers were asked to complete a questionnaire about demographics, asthma condition, family functioning, and parenting stress and to return it to a researcher.

 RESULTS : Fifty-one participants returned the questionnaire (85.0% recovery rate). Of the children, 47.0% had poorly controlled asthma and 35.3% had moderate to severe asthma. Approximately 15.7% of the mothers were at high risk for parenting stress, and 41.2% scored above the cutoff level for declining family functioning. Multiple regression analysis revealed that advanced maternal age, high maternal educational attainment, children with severe asthma, and declining family functioning in the roles and affective involvement categories were correlated with the worsening of parental stress.

 CONCLUSION : Older and more educated mothers of children with asthma tended to feel stress. This result indicates the possibility that reducing parenting stress in these mothers could be achieved by relieving severe asthma and improving role and affective involvement in family functioning.