Family climate of routine asthma care: associating perceived burden and mother-child interaction patterns to child well-being.
This preliminary report links the literatures on family asthma management practices and on the characteristics of family interaction patterns thought to influence children's adjustment to a chronic physical illness. Specifically, this study of 60 families with a child with asthma examined the extent to which perceived burden of routine asthma care affected child mental health via its influence on parent-child interaction patterns. Mothers completed a measure of asthma management routine burden, mother and child were observed in a 15-minute interaction task, and children completed measures of child anxiety and asthma quality of life (QOL). Perceived routine burden significantly predicted child anxiety and QOL through its effect on mother-child rejection/criticism. The same pattern did not hold for mother intrusiveness/control. The results are discussed in terms of how overall family climate and regulation of routines affects child well-being. Implications for clinical practice and limitations of the study are provided.
Fiese
Barbara
B
Department of Psychology, Syracuse University, 430 Huntington Hall, Syracuse, NY 13244, USA. bhfiese@syr.edu
Winter
Marcia
M
Anbar
Ran
R
Howell
Kimberly
K
Poltrock
Scott
S
D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000293:Adolescent; D001007:Anxiety / Q000523:psychology; D001249:Asthma / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000523:psychology; D017028:Caregivers / Q000523:psychology*; D002648:Child; D005192:Family Health; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D008603:Mental Health; D009034:Mother-Child Relations; D011581:Psychological Tests; D011594:Psychometrics; D011788:Quality of Life; D012938:Social Perception; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires