title: Parenting disability, parenting stress and child behaviour in early inflammatory arthritis.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Our study examines the association between the disease characteristics of inflammatory arthritis and patients' self-perception of mental health, parenting disability, parenting stress and child behaviour in early inflammatory arthritis (EIA).
  
  
  METHODS
  Patients in the early phase (more than 6 weeks, less than 18 months) of inflammatory arthritis were recruited from a larger EIA registry that recorded sociodemographic data and measures of pain, physical functioning and disease activity. Patient-perceived parenting disability, parenting stress, depression and children's behaviour problems were assessed using the Parenting Disability Index, Parenting Stress Index, Center for Epidemiologic Studies--Depression Mood Scale and Child Behavior Checklist, respectively.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Pain, physical dysfunction, number of tender joints and physician global assessment of disease activity were associated with parenting disability. Self-report measures of parenting disability were associated with those of depression and parenting stress. Parenting stress was associated with children internalizing and externalizing behaviour problems while parenting disability was associated with children externalizing behaviour problems.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study suggests a possible reciprocal relationship among physical aspects of disease activity, parenting disability and parent and child distress in EIA.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montréal, Quebec, Canada.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Zelkowitz
authors.forename: K J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Looper
authors.forename: S S
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Mustafa
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Purden
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Baron
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living / Q000523:psychology; D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology; D002170:Canada / Q000453:epidemiology; D002648:Child; D002652:Child Behavior; D016241:Child of Impaired Parents / Q000523:psychology*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D006233:Persons with Disabilities / Q000523:psychology*; D005190:Family; D005192:Family Health; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D017567:Karnofsky Performance Status; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010147:Pain Measurement; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D016487:Parenting / Q000523:psychology*; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012042:Registries; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology