Demands and resources: parents of school-age children with asthma

Asthma is one of the most common chronic diseases in children and is frequently noted as the reason for school absences. The purpose of this pilot study was to determine the differences in demands and resources reported by African American (AA) and European American (EA) parents of school-age children with asthma. A convenience sample of 37 parents participated in the study. Data were collected from 19 AA and 18 EA parents. Family stress theory provided the framework for this study. All subjects completed a demographic questionnaire, the Care of My Child With Asthma Scale, and the Family Inventory of Resources for Management (FIRM). Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the data. The most time-consuming caregiving demand reported by EA parents was providing emotional support for the child. For AA parents, the most time-consuming caregiving demand was managing work or school outside the home and organizing asthma treatments at the same time. AA parents had limited resources in the area of extended family social support. The Mann-Whitney U test found no statistically significant differences between AA and EA parents in relation to demands and resources. Nursing implications are presented.