A case-control study assessing parenting sense of competence in people with multiple sclerosis

To assess the parenting sense of competence in mothers and fathers with MS compared to a matched group of healthy parents and to evaluate whether illness features, mood, coping and social support influence parenting sense of competence in mothers and fathers with MS.

Participants in both groups were parents with at least 1 child under 18 years of age. They completed an anonymous online questionnaire of scales on parenting sense of competence, health-related quality of life, coping, depression and anxiety, and perceived social support. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to evaluate associations between parents with MS and study outcomes.

Eighty parents with MS and 80 healthy parents participated in the study. The mean age of the MS group was 41.5 years and 42.8 years in the control group. Both groups were 83.8% female and 16.7% male. A comparison between groups on parenting sense of competence did not highlight a significant difference. Higher scores on the 12-Item Short Form Health Survey, both physical (p < .001) and mental (p = .001) components, contributed to a higher score on the Parenting Sense of Competence scale in the MS group.

Parents with MS in the current study maintained a sense of competence in their parenting role, similar to the healthy control group and quality of life correlated with parenting sense of competence. (PsycINFO Database Record