| Summary: | The goals of this study were to evaluate the relationships among family
functioning, psychological adjustment, and health-related quality of life in children with
asthma and children with diabetes. A secondary goal of this study was to examine the
relations between illness severity, psychological adjustment, and health-related quality
of life in the children with asthma. Participants included 41 children with asthma and
109 children with diabetes, and one primary caregiver of each child. Questionnaires
were given to children to assess their levels of anxiety, depression, and health-related
quality of life. Questionnaires pertaining to parenting stress, family functioning, and
psychological adjustment also were completed by the participating primary caregiver.
Results suggested these two groups of children do not differ in their psychological
adjustment, family functioning, or health-related quality of life. Normal levels of anxiety
and depression were reported, which both supports and contradicts current research in
this area. Additionally, parenting stress mediated the relationship between family
cohesion and parent-reported depression in children with diabetes; however, this result
was not obtained in the children with asthma. In children with diabetes, significant
relationships were found between self-reported anxiety and parenting stress and between parent-reported anxiety and health-related quality of life. Additionally, parent-reported
depression was significantly related to parenting stress, health-related quality of life, and
family cohesion. Self-reported depression was significantly predicted by health-related
quality of life. In children with asthma, health-related quality of life significantly
predicted self-reported anxiety and parenting stress was significantly related to parentreported
depression. Illness severity did not predict psychological adjustment or healthrelated
quality of life in children with asthma.
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