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
Review
. 2018 Mar;36(1):45-61.
doi: 10.1037/fsh0000305. Epub 2017 Nov 27.

Parenting behaviors and the well-being of children with a chronic physical condition

Jamie L Crandell  1 , Margarete Sandelowski  2 , Jennifer Leeman  2 , Nancy L Havill  2 , Kathleen Knafl  2
Affiliations
Review

Parenting behaviors and the well-being of children with a chronic physical condition

Jamie L Crandell et al. Fam Syst Health. 2018 Mar.

Abstract

Introduction: Numerous studies have identified the importance of parenting behaviors to the well-being of children with chronic physical conditions. Synthesizing the findings of these studies has potential to identify which parenting behaviors are associated with specific aspects of child well-being.

Method: We retrieved research reports addressing the relationship between parenting behaviors and well-being in children with chronic physical conditions, and categorized parenting behaviors based on Skinner, Johnson, and Snyder's (2005) core dimensions of parenting (warmth, rejection, structure, chaos, autonomy support, and coercion) Through meta-analysis, we examined relationships between parenting dimension and child well-being variables.

Results: Fifty-four reports from 47 unique studies met inclusion criteria. Parent warmth was associated with less child depression, better quality of life, better physical functioning, and fewer externalizing behavior problems. Parent rejection was associated with more child depression, internalizing/externalizing behavior problems, and poorer physical functioning. Parent structure was associated with better child physical functioning. Parent chaos was associated with poorer child physical functioning. Parent autonomy support was associated with better quality of life and fewer externalizing behavior problems. Parent coercion was associated with more child depression, poorer quality of life, poorer physical function, and more internalizing behavior problems.

Conclusion: The results identify multiple, potentially modifiable parenting dimensions associated with well-being in children with a chronic condition, which could be targeted in developing family-focused interventions. They also provide evidence that research using Skinner's core dimensions could lead to conceptualization and study of parenting behaviors in ways that would enable comparison of parenting in a variety of health and sociocultural contexts. (PsycINFO Database Record

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of interest

No conflict of interest has been declared by the authors.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
PRISMA diagram for study of the relationship between parenting and child well-being.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Description of reports included in sample
Figure 3
Figure 3. Parent Dimensions with associated measures, constructs, and studies
Note: (R)=reverse scored to maintain combinability with other measures.
Figure 3
Figure 3. Parent Dimensions with associated measures, constructs, and studies
Note: (R)=reverse scored to maintain combinability with other measures.
Figure 4
Figure 4. Child wellbeing with associated measures, constructs, and studies
Note: (R)=reverse scored to maintain combinability with other measures.
Figure 4
Figure 4. Child wellbeing with associated measures, constructs, and studies
Note: (R)=reverse scored to maintain combinability with other measures.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Alderfer MA, Fiese BH, Gold JI, Cutuli JJ, Holmbeck GN, Goldbeck L, et al. Evidence-based assessment in pediatric psychology: Family measures. Journal of Pediatric Psychology. 2008;33:1046–1061. doi: 10.1093/jpepsy/jsmo83. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Allen D, Channon S, Atwell C, Lane C. Behind the scenes: The changing roles of parents in the transition from child to adult diabetes service. Diabetic Medicine. 2011;28:994–1000. doi: 10.1111/j.1464-5491.2011.03310.x. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Anderson BJ, Holmbeck G, Iannotti RJ, McKay SV, Lochrie A, Volkening L, et al. Dyadic measures of the parent-child relationship during the transition to adolescence and glycemic control in children with type 1 diabetes. Families, Systems, & Health. 2009;27(2):141–152. doi: 10.1037/a0015759. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Barakat LP, Daniel LC, Smith K, Renée Robinson M, Patterson CA. Parental problem-solving abilities and the association of sickle cell disease complications with health-related quality of life for school-age children. Journal of Clinical Psychology in Medical Settings. 2014;21(1):56–65. doi: 10.1007/s10880-013-9379-7. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Barakat LP, Marmer PL, Schwartz LA. Quality of life of adolescents with cancer: Family risks and resources. Health and Quality of Life Outcomes. 2010;8(1):63–63. doi: 10.1186/1477-7525-8-63. - DOI - PMC - PubMed