- New Syndrome May Be Affecting Babies Exposed to Fentanyl
- Wasabi Shows Memory-Boosting Powers in Study
- Newborns’ Brains Aren’t ‘Undeveloped’ Compared to Those of Infant Monkeys, Chimps
- Opioid Crisis May Be Driving Surge in Youth Suicides
- High Blood Pressure in Pregnancy Tied to Long-Term Heart Trouble for Hispanic Women
- Cognitive Decline May Come Earlier for People With Epilepsy
- Any Kind of Drug Abuse Treatment Can Help Gay Men Kick Meth Habit
- Surgery Helps Kids With Drug-Resistant Epilepsy, But Race Could Hinder Access
- Wildfires Are Undoing Gains Made Against Air Pollution
- Teens With Epilepsy Face Higher Odds for Eating Disorders
Child’s Chronic Illness Can Affect the Whole Family

SATURDAY, Sept. 21Parenting a chronically ill child can cause stress that affects the whole family.
That’s the finding of researchers who reviewed 96 studies conducted in 12 countries between 1980 and 2012. The studies included families in which there were children up to age 21 with asthma, cancer, cystic fibrosis, diabetes, epilepsy, juvenile rheumatoid arthritis and sickle cell disease.
The demands of care sometimes created greater stress for parents than the severity or length of their child’s illness, according to the findings published recently in the Journal of Pediatric Psychology.
Along with their usual parenting duties, parents of chronically ill children have to deal with special situations such as doctor or therapy appointments, medical treatments, hospitalizations and school issues that can overwhelm parents while they try to integrate the ill child’s needs into the family routine, the Case Western Reserve University researchers said.
Parents in the studies reported experiencing added stress from watching their child in pain, from worrying about the child’s vulnerability and from explaining the health problems to people outside the family.
Study co-author Rebecca Hazen, a psychologist and assistant professor in the pediatrics department, offered some stress reduction tips for parents with chronically ill children:
- Be open to assistance from friends or family who may be able to help lower some of the stress.
- Parents should find ways to share parenting and treatment responsibilities, so as to reduce the demands on one parent.
- Inform your child’s doctor if you think you may need help managing the stress related to caring for a child with a chronic illness.
Fifteen percent of U.S. families have a chronically ill child with special needs, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
More information
The American Academy of Pediatrics has more for parents about coping with chronic illness.
Source: HealthDay
Copyright © 2023 HealthDay. All rights reserved.