Hope and social support as resilience factors against psychological distress of mothers who care for children with chronic physical conditions

Background Providing family care to children who have a chronic physical co ndition is often a stressful experience, yet a portion of maternal caregive rs are able to do so without psychological distress. Specific Aims: On the basis of the multivariate conceptual model proposed by J. L. Wallander, J. W. Varni, L. Babani, C. B. DeHaan, et al. (1989), perceptions of hope and s ocial support were hypothesized to serve as resilience factors against dist ress in mothers of children with chronic physical conditions. Direct, moder ating, and mediating relationships among these variables were tested. Parti cipants: One hundred eleven mothers of 5- to 18-year-old children who had c erebral palsy, spina bifida, or insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. Main O utcome Measures: Hope Scale, Social Support Questionnaire-6, Brief Symptom Inventory, Parents of Children With Disabilities Inventory. Results: There were no differences in distress among mothers raising children with differe nt conditions. Both hope and social support were associated negatively and uniquely with distress in these mothers. Perceptions of hope moderated the relationship between disability-related stress and maladjustment, suggestin g a buffering effect when stress is high. However, hope did not appear to b e a mediator of the relationship between social support and distress. Signi ficance: These findings enhance our conceptual understanding of distress in maternal caregivers of children with a chronic physical condition. They al so support improving sense of hope as is done in some problem-solving train ing programs to enhance coping in distressed individuals.