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Updated: Jun 25, 2026
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Assessing the Coherence of Parents' Short Narratives Regarding their Child Using the Five-Minute Speech Sample Procedure
Published on: September 19, 2019
Factors associated with parental distress
Catherine A Duchovic1, Janis E Gerkensmeyer, Jingwei Wu
1Department of Nursing, Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne, Fort Wayne, IN, USA. duchovca@ipfw.edu
Summary
Parental distress is linked to child behavior problems and personal control. Understanding these factors can help support families with children facing mental health challenges.
Area of Science:
- Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
- Clinical Psychology
- Family Studies
Background:
- Parental distress is a significant concern in families with children experiencing mental health issues.
- Social support and personal control are crucial factors influencing parental well-being.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the associations between perceptions of social support, personal control, and child behavioral problems with parental distress.
- To identify key predictors of distress in parents of children with mental health conditions.
Main Methods:
- One hundred and fifty-five parents of children aged 2-19 years receiving community mental health services participated.
- Stepwise regression analysis was employed to identify independent predictors of parental distress.
Main Results:
- Internalizing and externalizing child behaviors, perceived personal control, and tangible social support independently predicted parental distress.
- Internalizing child behaviors, perceived personal control, and intangible social support were independent predictors of objective distress.
Conclusions:
- Child behavioral problems, both internalizing and externalizing, were significantly associated with parental distress.
- Perceived personal control moderated the relationship between internalizing child behaviors and parental subjective distress.
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