Maternal parenting stress and the health status of the child

The research investigated whether maternal parenting stress significantly correlates with the child's health status. 1066 mothers of children aged 2-6 years attending Panevėžys kindergartens participated in the study. According to the child's health status mothers were assigned to 4 health status groups: raising a healthy child, a child with chronic somatic or autoimmune disease, a child with developmental problems and a child with speech and communication problems. Mothers completed the Parenting Stress Index. The results revealed that parenting stress of mothers with children with chronic somatic illness does not differ from parenting stress levels of healthy children's mothers group, with the exception of the child's Demandingness scale. Mothers who have children with developmental problems report the greatest levels of Parenting stress comparing to mothers who have healthy children or children with somatic or speech and communication Problems. Mothers with children who have speech and communication problems perceive their children as more hyperactive, distractible and demanding than mothers of healthy ones, and less acceptable than mothers in somatic illness or healthy children group