Objective: The purpose of this study was to compare perceived parenting abilities in mothers with systemic sclerosis (SSc) based on the subtype of SSc and age group of their children, and to examine how the degree of pain, fatigue and functional ability relates to parenting ability.
Methods: In this cross-sectional survey, 74 mothers with SSc, who had children aged 18 years or younger living at home with them, completed a series of questionnaires online or on paper. The questionnaires included the Parent Disability Index (PDI) and surveys regarding demographic information, pain (visual analogue scale), fatigue (Multidimensional Assessment of Fatigue) and functional ability (Health Assessment Questionnaire).
Results: An analysis of variance revealed that the mean age of the mother (F(2,71) = 7.9; p < 0.01), mean PDI score (F(2,68) = 5.4; p < 0.01) and mean pain score (F(2,71) = 4.0; p = 0.02) were each associated with the age group of the children. The univariate analysis of variance results showed that dichotomized pain (F(1,69) = 13.3; p < 0.01), fatigue (F(1,69) = 18.9; p < 0.01) and disability (F(1,69) = 9.8; p < 0.01) were each associated with the PDI score. The multivariate analysis of variance results showed that dichotomized pain (F(1,68) = 7.5; p < 0.01) and fatigue (F(1,68) = 12.7; p < 0.01) were associated with the PDI.
Conclusion: Mothers with SSc report difficulty with parenting, which can be related to the severity of the symptoms. The findings suggest that interventions to reduce pain and fatigue may improve perceived parenting ability.
Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.