Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2008 May;33(4):408-21.
doi: 10.1093/jpepsy/jsm079. Epub 2007 Sep 29.

Single parents of children with chronic illness: an understudied phenomenon

Ronald T Brown  1 , Lori Wiener, Mary Jo Kupst, Tara Brennan, Richard Behrman, Bruce E Compas, T David Elkin, Diane L Fairclough, Sarah Friebert, Ernest Katz, Anne E Kazak, Avi Madan-Swain, Nancy Mansfield, Larry L Mullins, Robert Noll, Andrea Farkas Patenaude, Sean Phipps, O J Sahler, Barbara Sourkes, Lonnie Zeltzer
Affiliations

Single parents of children with chronic illness: an understudied phenomenon

Ronald T Brown et al. J Pediatr Psychol. 2008 May.

Abstract

Objective: To examine the chronic illness literature and evaluate the impact on single parenting and children and adolescents with chronic illness.

Methods: We conducted literature reviews of relevant research pertaining to single-parent families on PubMed, Medline, and PsychINFO and also surveyed pertinent book chapters and all of the articles from the Journal of Pediatric Psychology since 1987 for articles, specifically examining the potential associations of single (lone) parenting versus two-parent households on children's psychosocial functioning and the impact of the child's illness on caregiver functioning.

Results: While the literature has examined and discussed the stressors associated with parenting a child with an illness, including the impact of illness on finances, family roles, and caregiver burden, few studies have examined single parents of children and adolescents with chronic illnesses and related stressors stemming from being a lone caregiver.

Conclusions: There is a dearth of studies examining the association between lone parenting and psychosocial functioning among children and adolescents with chronic illnesses. Specific questions necessitating future investigation are summarized and recommendations are made for future research in this important area of inquiry.

PubMed Disclaimer

Comment in

References

    1. American Academy of Pediatrics. Family pediatrics: Report of the task force on the family. Pediatrics. 2003;111:1541–1571. - PubMed
    1. Barrera M, D’Agostino NM, Gibson J, Gilbert T, Weksberg R, Malkin D. Predictors and mediators of psychological adjustment in mothers of children newly diagnosed with cancer. Psycho-oncology. 2004;13:630–641. - PubMed
    1. Best M, Steisand R, Catania L, Kazak A. Parental distress during pediatric leukemia and posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) after treatment ends. Journal of Pediatric Psychology. 2001;26:299–307. - PubMed
    1. Bramlet M, Blumberg S. Family structure and children's physical and mental health. Health Affairs. 2007;26:549–558. - PubMed
    1. Cadman D, Rosenbaum P, Boyle M, Offord DR. Children with chronic illness: Family and parent demographic characteristics and psychosocial adjustment. Pediatrics. 1991;87:884–889. - PubMed

Publication types