Children's age as a potential moderator of the illness intrusiveness-distress relationship in juvenile rheumatic disease

Abstract

This study examines possible differences in coping among the parents of children with Juvenile Rheumatoid Disease (JRD). The vast majority of research on illness intrusiveness in pediatric populations has focused exclusively on children's perceptions of intrusiveness and its relation to child adjustment--extant literature has largely ignored parents' intrusiveness perceptions as a determinant of their own distress levels. This study investigates the illness intrusiveness-parental distress relationship among parents of children diagnosed with a JRD, and how the age of the child affects that relationship. In other words, the potential moderating role of child age on the illness intrusiveness-parental distress relationship is examined. Results demonstrated a significant main effect for parents of all children in the sample. However, while illness intrusiveness was found to be significantly related to distress among parents of older children, only a marginal relationship was seen among parents of younger children.