title: Tourette syndrome, parenting aggravation, and the contribution of co-occurring conditions among a nationally representative sample.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Previous research suggests that parents of a child with Tourette Syndrome (TS) have lower self-concepts, higher caregiver burden, and more difficulties with home activities. However, the contributions of TS and mental, emotional, or behavioral (MEB) conditions to family functioning are difficult to identify from previous research due to relatively small TS sample sizes and high rates of co-occurring conditions within samples of children with TS.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The current study hypothesized that families of children with TS would report significantly more family functioning difficulties (more parenting aggravation, more difficulty with coping with the child's care, less parent-child communication, and less consistent family routines). Specifically, co-occurring conditions would contribute substantially to reported parenting aggravation.
  
  
  METHODS
  Parent-reported data from the 2007 National Survey of Children's Health were analyzed, including whether the child had been diagnosed with TS or an MEB. Weighted analyses were restricted to US children 6-17 years of age (n = 64,034) and adjusted for child age, sex, race and ethnicity.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Parents of children with TS were more likely to fall into the high parenting aggravation index category compared with parents of children without TS (aPR = 3.8, 95% CI: 2.2-6.6). Controlling for the co-occurring MEB conditions attenuated the relations between TS and parenting aggravation; however, a significant effect for TS remained in some cases.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Parents of children with TS may face significant challenges in raising their children, leading to increased parenting aggravation; these challenges appear to be primarily associated with the presence of co-occurring MEB conditions.
authors.affiliation: Child Development Studies Team, Division of Human Development and Disability, National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA. lrobinson1@cdc.gov
authors.forename: Lara R
authors.initials: LR
authors.lastname: Robinson
authors.forename: Rebecca H
authors.initials: RH
authors.lastname: Bitsko
authors.forename: Laura A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Schieve
authors.forename: Susanna N
authors.initials: SN
authors.lastname: Visser
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior; D002648:Child; D002652:Child Behavior; D002653:Child Behavior Disorders; D003142:Communication; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D019964:Mood Disorders / Q000150:complications; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D016487:Parenting; D010290:Parents; D013315:Stress, Psychological; D005879:Tourette Syndrome / Q000150:complications