Parental problem-solving skills, stress, and dietary compliance in phenylketonuria

Parents of 30 children with phenylketonuria (PKU) who were classified as being in good dietary control (compliant, measured as within the medically acceptable range of blood phenylalanine levels of 2-10 mg) or poor dietary control (noncompliant, measured as either below or above medically acceptable 2-10 mg blood phenylalanine levels) engaged in verbal and written problem-solving situations under conditions of both high and low time-pressure induced stress. Overall, compliant parents gave higher quality verbal and written problem-solving solutions than noncompliant parents. Stress reduced the quality of problem solving in both compliant and noncompliant parents, but even under high stress, compliant parents demonstrated better problem-solving abilities than noncompliant parents. The potential importance of these findings for preventive intervention in PKU families is discussed.