Elsevier

Ambulatory Pediatrics

Volume 1, Issue 2, March–April 2001, Pages 104-107
Ambulatory Pediatrics

Maternal Reports of Raising Children With Chronic Illnesses:The Prevalence of Positive Thinking

https://doi.org/10.1367/1539-4409(2001)001<0104:MRORCW>2.0.CO;2Get rights and content

Objective.—To examine maternal reports of the positive impact and potential benefits of a child's chronic health condition.

Design and Methods.—A total of 190 mothers and their children with chronic illnesses, including sickle cell disease, cystic fibrosis, diabetes mellitus, and asthma, were recruited from 12 specialty or general pediatric clinics in Baltimore, Md. Standardized interviews were conducted with the mothers and included demographics, condition-related variables, and positive aspects of raising a child with a chronic condition.

Results.—Eighty-eight percent of the mothers felt better about themselves by learning to manage their child's chronic condition; 70% felt that their families were stronger because of their child's condition; and 80% felt that their family had benefited in some way from having a child with a chronic illness. Ninety-eight percent of the mothers endorsed at least 1 positive item; 58% endorsed all 3.

Conclusions.—Asking mothers about the positive impact on a family of a child's chronic illness captures an important part of the experience of caregiving. Physicians' recognition and encouragement of this positive outlook may help families continue to face the challenges of raising a child with a chronic illness.

Section snippets

Sample

Children ages 7–11 years with sickle cell disease, diabetes, cystic fibrosis, and moderate-to-severe asthma and their mothers were identified and recruited through 8 specialty clinics and 4 general pediatric clinics in Baltimore, Md. Attempts were made to contact all potentially eligible families from each clinic. A total of 566 households were identified. Of these, 174 (31%) could not be contacted. Of those contacted (N = 392), 74 (19%) were excluded because 1) the family lived outside a

RESULTS

Eighty-eight percent of the mothers reported feeling better about themselves by learning to manage their child's condition. Seventy percent of the mothers reported feeling that their families were stronger because of their child's condition, and 80% reported feeling that their family had benefited in some way from having a child with a chronic illness. Ninety-eight percent of the mothers endorsed at least 1 positive item, 83% endorsed 2 or more positive items, and 58% endorsed all 3.

Of the

DISCUSSION

Most mothers who participated in this study indicate that raising a child with a chronic illness does have a positive impact on their own and their family's lives. They reported feeling better about themselves by learning to manage their child's condition, that their families were stronger, and that their families had benefited because of the condition. Ninety-eight percent of all the mothers endorsed at least 1 of our indices of positive impact.

Our analyses suggest that compared with mothers

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

This investigation was supported by grant MCJ-240804 from the Maternal and Child Health Bureau (Title V, Social Security Act, HRSA, DHHS).

The authors thank the project interviewers and all of the parents who graciously participated in this effort.

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