Relationship between parenting stress and concerns identified by developmental screening and their effects on parental medical careĝ€"seeking behavior

Robert G. Voigt, Shirley K. Johnson, Michael W. Mellon, Andrew H. Hashikawa, Lynnelle J. Campeau, Arthur R. Williams, Barbara P. Yawn, Young J. Juhn

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

6 Scopus citations

Abstract

This cross-sectional study examines the relationship between parenting stress and concerns identified by developmental screening and their effects on parents' decisions to seek medical care for their children. A total of 182 parents completed both the Parenting Stress Index (PSI) and the Parents' Evaluation of Developmental Status (PEDS) when their children were admitted to a sick child care program that provides parents the option of requesting medical evaluations for their children with mild acute illnesses. Although 31.6% of parents (N = 62) requested medical evaluations, neither PSI nor PEDS scores were associated with these requests. However, PEDS scores indicating significant parental concerns about their child's development or behavior predicted clinically significant levels of parenting stress on the PSI (odds ratio 4.9; 95% confidence interval, 1.5-15.9; P =.007). Primary pediatric health care providers who routinely perform developmental screening need to consider this relationship when interpreting developmental screening results and offer supportive and referral services to families as needed.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)362-368
Number of pages7
JournalClinical Pediatrics
Volume48
Issue number4
DOIs
StatePublished - May 2009

Keywords

  • Child development
  • Developmental screening
  • Medical careĝ€"seeking behavior
  • Parenting stress
  • Parentĝ€"child relations

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Pediatrics, Perinatology, and Child Health

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