Parental Perceptions of Child Vulnerability and Parent Stress as Predictors of Pain and Adjustment in Children With Chronic Arthritis

Parental predictors of child psychological adjustment and pain were investigated in 51 children with arthritis. Children rated depressive symptoms, anxiety, and pain. Disease severity was determined by a physician provided active joint count, as well as a physician's global assessment. Parents rated their own depressive symptoms, stress, and perceptions of child vulnerability. Regression analyses indicated that higher parental perceptions of child vulnerability predicted increased child depressive symptoms and anxiety. Parent stress predicted both child anxiety and pain. Thus, the important role parent variables play in child health outcomes was reinforced, thereby strengthening the indication to assess parent functioning when performing clinical evaluations of adjustment to juvenile arthritis.