Skip Navigation



Journal of Pediatric Psychology Advance Access published online on March 20, 2008
Journal of Pediatric Psychology, doi:10.1093/jpepsy/jsn028
This Article
Right arrow Full Text Freely available
Right arrow FREE Full Text (PDF) Freely available
Right arrow All Versions of this Article:
33/8/809    most recent
jsn028v1
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My Personal Archive
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Right arrow Disclaimer
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Everhart, R. S.
Right arrow Articles by Smyth, J. M.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Everhart, R. S.
Right arrow Articles by Smyth, J. M.
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us  
What's this?

© The Author 2008. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society of Pediatric Psychology. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org

A Cumulative Risk Model Predicting Caregiver Quality of Life in Pediatric Asthma

Robin S. Everhart, MS, Barbara H. Fiese, PhD and Joshua M. Smyth, PhD

Syracuse University

All correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Barbara H. Fiese, PhD, Department of Psychology, Syracuse University, 430 Huntington Hall, Syracuse, NY 13244, USA. E-mail: bhfiese{at}syr.edu


  Abstract

Objective To examine the relationship between a cumulative risk model and caregiver quality of life (QOL) in pediatric asthma and determine whether caregiver QOL is predicted by a linear or quadratic model of cumulative risk. Methods One hundred and ninety-three families of children between the ages of 5 and 12 years with mild to severe asthma completed a background questionnaire and measures of QOL, asthma severity, family burden, and family stress. A cumulative risk model based on risk factors from these measures was calculated for each caregiver. Results The cumulative risk model significantly predicted caregiver QOL as a quadratic function. Caregivers with numerous risk factors experienced a dramatic worsening of QOL. Conclusions Findings suggest that caregiver QOL is best predicted by the interaction and not the summation of these factors. Interventions focused on one area of family risk may be effective in reducing poor QOL in caregivers of children with asthma.

Key words: asthma; caregiver; family; quality of life; risk factors.

Received August 8, 2007; revision received March 3, 2008; accepted March 4, 2008


Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us    What's this?




Disclaimer: Please note that abstracts for content published before 1996 were created through digital scanning and may therefore not exactly replicate the text of the original print issues. All efforts have been made to ensure accuracy, but the Publisher will not be held responsible for any remaining inaccuracies. If you require any further clarification, please contact our Customer Services Department.