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The impact of a caregiver's chronic illness on childhood psychosocial functioning

Shamieh Banihani1, Samantha Zimmer1, Annie Tagvoryan1

  • 1School of Medicine, University of California, Riverside.

Families, Systems & Health : the Journal of Collaborative Family Healthcare
|January 6, 2025
PubMed

Insights

Caregiver toxic stress, not chronic illness disability alone, significantly impacts child psychosocial dysfunction. Combined, high caregiver chronic illness disability and toxic stress strongly predict childhood psychosocial dysfunction (CPD).

Area of Science:

  • Psychosocial health
  • Pediatric health
  • Family medicine

Background:

  • Chronic stress impacts lifelong psychosocial functioning.
  • Childhood adversity screening is key in pediatric care.
  • The combined impact of caregiver chronic illness and toxic stress on children is understudied.

Purpose of the Study:

  • Investigate how caregiver chronic illness disability burden and parental toxic stress affect childhood psychosocial dysfunction (CPD).

Main Methods:

  • Pilot study in Southern California family medicine clinics (Aug-Dec 2022).
  • Surveyed 29 caregivers of children aged 4-17 with chronic illnesses.
  • Used validated tools for caregiver disability burden, parental toxic stress, and pediatric psychosocial functioning.

Main Results:

  • Caregiver toxic stress significantly predicted CPD.
  • High caregiver chronic illness disability burden and toxic stress together significantly predicted CPD.
  • Caregiver chronic illness disability burden alone did not predict CPD.

Conclusions:

  • Caregiver toxic stress is a significant predictor of childhood psychosocial dysfunction.
  • Holistic care for children should address caregiver chronic illness disability and toxic stress.
  • Findings may inform integrated care models for families facing chronic illness and stress.
Abstract

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