FAMILY AND PARENTAL FUNCTIONING IN CYSTIC-FIBROSIS

This article reviews 31 recent articles that describe the functioning of families and/or parents of children with cystic fibrosis (CF), comp ares them to families of healthy children, pinpoints factors that pred ict quality of adjustment, or evaluates interventions designed to impr ove functioning. Commonly cited concerns included the difficulty of th e treatment regimen, the terminal nature of CF, and the disruption of intrafamilial relationships. Parents of children with CF experienced g reater stress and burdens than parents of healthy children, yet parent ing behavior and family functioning were quite similar in CF and healt hy control groups. Higher levels of distress, an avoidant coping style , and low levels of family support were associated with poor psycholog ical adjustment, Recommendations for future research include: using mu ltiple informants; using detailed, illness-specific measures and conce ptual frameworks; and conducting studies of individual variation and i nterventions. Practitioners might consider performing periodic updates of how the family is managing as a whole.