Maternal Stress

Child: care, health and development Original Article

doi:10.1111/j.1365-2214.2008.00891.x

Maternal parenting stress and its correlates in families with a young child with cerebral palsy
S. Glenn,* C. Cunningham,* H. Poole,† D. Reeves‡ and M. Weindling§
*Faculty of Health and Applied Social Sciences, Liverpool John Moores University †Faculty of Science, Liverpool John Moores University,Liverpool ‡National Primary Care Research and Development Centre, University of Manchester, Manchester, and §School of Reproductive and Developmental Medicine, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK Accepted for publication 7 July 2008

Abstract
Objective To investigate factors predicting parenting stress in mothers of pre-school children with cerebral palsy. Method Eighty mothers and childrenparticipated. Mothers completed the Parenting Stress Index (PSI) and the following measures of family functioning: family support, family cohesion and adaptability, coping strategies, family needs and locus of control. Children were assessed using the Griffiths Scales and the Gross Motor Function measure. The child’s home environment was assessed using Home Observation for Measuring the Environment.Results Mothers had higher mean total PSI scores than the means for the typical sample; 43% had total PSI scores above the threshold for clinical assessment. Cluster analysis demonstrated five distinct clusters of families, more than half of whom were coping well. High stress items were role restriction, isolation and poor spouse support, and having a child who was perceived as less adaptable andmore demanding. Lower stress items indicated that this sample of mothers found their children emotionally reinforcing and had close emotional bonds. Regression analysis showed that the factors most strongly related to parenting stress levels were high family needs, low family adaptability and cognitive impairment in the child. Conclusions The results confirmed the individuality of families, and thatindividual characteristics of coping and feeling in control, together with family support and cohesion, are associated with variation in amount of stress experienced in parenting a child with cerebral palsy.

Keywords cerebral palsy, maternal parenting stress, pre-school children Correspondence: Sheila Glenn, PhD, School of Natural Sciences and Psychology, Liverpool John Moores University,Henry Cotton Building, 15–21 Webster Street, Liverpool L3 2FT, UK E-mail: s.m.glenn@ljmu.ac.uk

Introduction
It is commonly believed that parents of children with disabilities have high levels of stress associated with parenting. However, Byrne and Cunningham (1985) argued that many studies assumed, and so focussed on finding, stress, but failed to look at those families that did not experienceheightened levels of stress. Investigations were needed of how parents adapt to their child with disability and factors associated with satisfaction and pleasure with parenting. Later studies reported that while

parents of children with disabilities were at risk of above average stress levels, stress was not inevitable (e.g. Byrne et al. 1988; Beckman 1991; Shonkoff et al. 1992; Krauss 1993;Eisenhower et al. 2005). There is wide variation in how families adapt, affected by personal characteristics, family dynamics and the support from the wider environment. A review by Knussen and Sloper (1992) concluded that parents who experienced higher levels of distress were likely to be those with fewer coping resources at their disposal, for example, inadequate social support, high level ofstressful life events, low marital

© 2008 The Authors Journal compilation © 2008 Blackwell Publishing Ltd

71

72 S. Glenn et al.

satisfaction, maladaptive coping skills and low financial resources. The level and nature of the child’s disability were not directly linked to the level of stress in parenting, as is often assumed. Children with severe physical and cognitive disabilities and/or...