FAMILIES OF CHILDREN WITH PRADER-WILLI-SYNDROME - STRESS-SUPPORT AND RELATIONS TO CHILD CHARACTERISTICS

This study examined stress-support in 42 families of 3 to 18-year-old children with Prader-Willi syndrome. Parents were asked about themselv es and their families, their child with Prader-Willi syndrome, family supports, and family stress. Compared to reported stress levels in fam ilies of children with mixed etiologies of retardation, parents of chi ldren with Prader-Willi syndrome showed higher levels of parent and fa mily problems, and comparable levels of pessimism. Parents of children with Prader-Willi syndrome listed other family members and friends as their main supporters; often such supporters lived outside of the res pondent's town or city. Although the child's age, Ie, and degree of ob esity were not related to familial stress families experienced greater stress when the child showed more behavior problems overall, more ext ernalizing and internalizing problems, and more problems on five of th e nine narrow-band domains of Achenbach's Child Behavior Checklist.