Family quality of life (FQOL) refers to the degree to which families of individuals with disabilities are able to meet their basic needs, enjoy time together, and pursue leisure interests and activities (Park et al., 2003). Researchers have identified barriers that families of individuals with disabilities encounter as they pursue a life of quality including elevated parental stress (Hauser-Cram, Warfield, Shonkoff, & Kraus, 2001), low socioeconomic status (SES) (Park, Turnbull, & Turnbull, 2002) and inadequate social service support (Soresi, Nota, & Ferrari, 2007). This study utilized data collected from a sample of parents (N = 389) of children receiving special education services from preschool through fifth grade to determine parental stress levels, satisfaction with social service supports and FQOL. Instruments included a demographic questionnaire, Parental Stress Scale (PSS; Berry & Jones, 1995), Client Satisfaction Questionnaire-8 (CSQ-8; Larsen, Attkisson, Hargreaves, & Nguyen, 1979) and Family Quality of Life Survey (FQOLS; Turnbull et al., 2004). A MANCOVA analysis failed to reflect significant differences between parental stress levels and FQOL based on child disability type. Point biserial correlations did not reveal significant relationships between children’s free or reduced lunch (FRL) status, parental stress, satisfaction with social services, and FQOL. Initial linear regression analysis indicated that parental stress was a significant predictor of FQOL (p < .001) while satisfaction with social services approached significance (p = .057). However, a subsequent linear regression analysis that included the interaction between satisfaction with social services and parental stress failed to support a moderation effect between satisfaction with social services and parental stress in the prediction of FQOL (p = .142). The examination of parental stress and FQOL within a school-based setting was a unique contribution to the literature that focuses primarily on FQOL and families of children with disabilities within clinical, medical and mental health settings. Limitations of this study, future research directions, and implications for school-based mental health providers are presented.

Bakgrund: Att bli mamma till ett för tidigt fött barn (&lt;37 gestationsveckor) innebär en oväntad stress vilket påverkar hela familjen. Under de senaste årtionden har stora förbättringar skett inom perinatal vård och numera är chansen till överlevnad stor. Att barnet efter födseln vårdas på neonatal intensivvårdsavdelning (NICU) får konsekvenser för mamman både känslomässigt och i omvårdnaden av barnet. Syfte: Att undersöka föräldrastress och beskriva faktorer som påverkar tidig föräldrastress hos mammor till för tidigt födda barn när barnet är två månader i korrigerad ålder. Metod: Studien utfördes på fyra NICU i Sverige. Inklusionskriterierna för studien var att barnet var för tidigt fött samt vårdades på neonatalavdelning i minst 72 timmar. För att mäta upplevd föräldrastress fick mammorna (n=276) svara på enkäten Swedish Parental Stress Questionnaire (SPSQ) när barnet var två månader i korrigerad ålder. Resultat: Mammor vars barn inte vårdades på en samvårdsavdelning, som hade barn i kuvös, mammor till barn med äldre syskon, var äldre, rökte och/eller ammade helt upplevde mer föräldrastress än övriga mammor. Slutsats: Studien visar att faktorer i framför allt i miljön samt hos mamman har betydelse för upplevd föräldrastress. Våra resultat innebär att omhändertagandet bör bli bättre, både under tiden på neonatalavdelning men även efter utskrivning. Då studien också påvisar vikten av samvårdsavdelning bör förbättringar ske i den fysiska vårdmiljön för att minimera upplevelsen av föräldrastress. / Background: When an infant is born preterm (&lt;37 gestational weeks) unexpected stresses affect the whole family. Significant improvements in the perinatal care has been made in the recent decades and now the chance of survival is high. To become a mother in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) entail consequences for the mother emotionally and in her care for her infant. Aim: To investigate parental stress and describe factors associated to early parenting stress in mothers of preterm infants at two months of corrected age. Method: The study was conducted in four NICUs in Sweden. The inclusion criteria were that the infant was born prematurely and had a hospital stay for at least 72 hours. To measure perceived parental stress, the mothers (n=276) answered the Swedish Parental Stress Questionnaire (SPSQ) at two months of corrected age. Results: Mothers whose infants were not cared for in a NICU with co-care, whose infants were cared for in an incubator, who were multiparous, older, who smoked and/or who were breastfeeding exclusively, experienced more stress than their counterparts in various dimensions explored. Conclusion: The study shows that factors relating to the environment and the mother are associated to parental stress among mothers’ of preterm infants. These findings show the need for improved support, both during the NICU stay and after discharge. These findings also highlight the need for improvements in the physical environment of the NICUs to reduce the risk for parental stress.

Accumulative family risk factors can have a detrimental impact on young children's social emotional development and future school readiness. Identifying family risk and resilience factors can be a first step in linking families to needed services. Programs that serve families and children need a brief and valid screening tool that can quickly assess family strengths and needs. This study examined the validity and utility of the Environmental Screening Questionnaire (ESQ), a brief caregiver report of the family's situation. Participants included 324 parent/child (ages 3-60 months) dyads from a sample of programs that serve at-risk families (n = 72) and an online sample of caregivers (n = 252). Results from data analyses evaluating the validity and utility were promising. Validity was investigated by examining convergent validity using the Parenting Stress Index-Short Form. Caregivers from the online sample who had more family risk factors, as identified in the ESQ, were more likely to have elevated levels of stress (r = .23). Moreover, children from families with increased risk factors tended to have higher scores on the Ages and Stages Questionnaire: Social Emotional (ASQ:SE) for two age intervals, 6 and 48 months, for the online sample. Utility data were gathered from caregivers and program staff. Results suggest the ESQ is an effective and useful screening measure that can help professionals identify areas of resource need, organize referral information, and monitor family outcomes. Caregivers found the ESQ to be helpful in understanding personal areas of risk and how risk and resilience factors can affect children's social emotional development. This study assisted in developing preliminary "red flag" risk factors that may be useful to programs serving families and children. Testing of the "red flags" is discussed for future research. / 10000-01-01

Background: The demands and norms of modern society cause increasing stress levels amongst the population where parents of young children have proven to be a particularly vulnerable group. Research indicates that parents with high stress levels often have a negative impact on the whole family, including their children as well, who then might present signs of a lower physical health and difficulties concentrating. Aim: The purpose of the study was to describe Child Health Care (CHC) nurses’ work to reduce stress among parents. Method: Eight semi-structured interviews based on a convenience sampling were conducted and analyzed according to qualitative content analysis. Results: The analysis identified three categories: ”Using Oneself as an Asset”, ”Strengthen the Parents” and ”Working in a Whole Family Approach”. Conclusion: The CHC nurses worked with a salutogenic perspective using multiple approaches when helping parents reduce stress. It was prominent that the conversation was of importance when meeting the parents and having good counseling skills seemed to be one of the most important areas to master. One area where more focus on stress reduction could be beneficial is as part of the education offered in parent groups and this would be a way of better emphasizing the occurrence of stress and the importance of useful stress management strategies.

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Caregiver burden results from the stress that parents feel due to their responsibilities as a caregiver. This study was performed to analyze a proposed model of variables that predict caregiver burden of parents raising a child with type 1 diabetes, as well as determine differences in mothers' and fathers' models of caregiver burden. The predictor variables of caregiver burden were based on mothers and fathers perceptions of marital conflict, marital satisfaction, depression, child externalizing behaviors, number of children in the family, and family income. The results showed that for mothers, marital conflict, depression, and child externalizing behaviors had significant direct relationships to caregiver burden. For fathers, marital satisfaction, depression, and income had significant direct relationships to caregiver burden. The gender comparison showed a difference in the relationships of depression, marital conflict, and marital satisfaction with caregiver burden for mothers and fathers. Marital satisfaction had a stronger relationship with fathers' caregiver burden than with mothers', and marital conflict had a stronger relationship with mothers' caregiver burden than fathers' caregiver burden. Depression was significantly related to both mothers' and fathers' caregiver burden with fathers' depression having the stronger association with caregiver burden. These findings provide an increased understanding of the caregiver burden of parents who have a child with diabetes.

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