Psychosocial adjustment in children with kidney disease

Objective: To examine family environment, levels of parenting stress, and c hild behavior problems in children with one of three kidney diseases compar ed to healthy children and to examine predictors of psychological distress in the full sample. Method: Parents of children with steroid sensitive nephrotic syndrome, chro nic renal insufficiency, or kidney transplant (n = 41) were compared to 34 healthy children of similar demographic characteristics. Results: Mean scores on family functioning, parenting stress, and child beh avior were within normal limits. Family environment variables significantly predicted child behavior and parenting stress for parents of ill and healt hy children. Qualitative responses provided insight into developmentally sp ecific stressors and intervention needs in the illness groups. Conclusions: These data indicate that long-term survivors of kidney disease function similarly to demographically matched peers and that the family en vironment may buffer stress caused by illness. Specific concerns raised by parents in the kidney disease groups indicate the need to appropriately ass ess and intervene with this understudied population.