title: Growing up with an ill parent: An examination of family characteristics and parental illness features.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Existing literature suggests that the children of ill parents are vulnerable to a variety of psychosocial difficulties such as depression and anxiety. The purpose of the current study is to investigate the impact of family characteristics (parental involvement, familial support, stress experienced as a result of parental illness) and parental illness features (severity, duration, recovery status, frequency of symptoms, course) on the psychosocial functioning (depression, anxiety, life satisfaction) of late adolescents who have grown up with an ill parent but no longer live with their parents.
  
  
  METHODS
  Participants were 71 college students with a parent who experienced a chronic medical condition while they were growing up. Participants provided information regarding family characteristics, parental illness features, and the impact of parental illness. Impact of parental illness was assessed using the Impact of Illness Scale. Participants also completed measures of depression, anxiety, and life satisfaction.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Participants' reported impact of parent illness was positively correlated with participant depression and anxiety. Several family characteristics and parental illness features were significantly associated with participant psychosocial functioning. In particular, lower parental involvement was correlated with greater participant depression and anxiety, as well as lower life satisfaction.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These findings extend our understanding of the impact of parental illness on late adolescents' psychosocial functioning. Results could have clinical applications for psychosocial interventions in children and families coping with chronic illness. (PsycINFO Database Record
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, American University.
authors.forename: Maggie
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Stoeckel
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, American University.
authors.forename: Carol
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Weissbrod
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001007:Anxiety / Q000523:psychology*; D002908:Chronic Disease / Q000523:psychology*; D003863:Depression / Q000523:psychology*; D005191:Family Characteristics; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D010549:Personal Satisfaction; D018434:Sickness Impact Profile