Respiratory diseases in children attending kindergartens: Health-related variables and mothers’ psychological, parental, and marital functioning

This study aimed to examine the differences between mothers of children with and without respiratory problems in variables related to psychological, parental, and marital functioning and to determine which contributed more to parenting stress, because there is a lack of information in this field. Participants were 459 mothers of children attending kindergartens, who accepted to participate. The instruments were The International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood questionnaire, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, Parenting Stress Index–Short Form, Parenting Stress Index–Long Form, and Escala de Avaliação da Satisfação em Áreas da Vida Conjugal. Anxiety, depression, and parenting stress were higher in the more symptomatic children and parenting stress was associated with anxiety, depression, and marital satisfaction. Findings support the relevance of children’s respiratory-related variables to mothers’ psychological, parental, and marital functioning.