A dyadic perspective on parent-child dyadic coping in children with a chronic condition

Reine van der Wal*, Sanne L Nijhof, Luca Leisten, Elise van de Putte, C. Kors Van Der Ent, Hindriks-Keegstra, Guy Bodenmann, Catrin Finkenauer, Merel M Nap-van der Vlist

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

Abstract

Objective: In this study, we examined the extent to which parents and their children with a chronic condition communicate their stress to one another and whether stress communication is associated with different forms of dyadic coping. Methods: In a sample of 239 parent-child dyads, self-reported stress communication and different forms of perceived dyadic coping (i.e., emotion-oriented, problem-oriented, and negative dyadic coping) were assessed using a cross-sectional design. Results: We first found that children's stress communication was positively associated with more positive (r = 0.28, p < .001) and less negative dyadic coping responses by children (r = −0.22, p < .001). Children's stress communication was also associated with more positive (r = 0.52, r = 0.45, p's < 0.001), and less negative dyadic coping responses by parents (r = −0.19, p < .001). Using dyadic data of children with a chronic condition and their parents, we found that more stress communication of children was associated with healthier coping responses of both children (perceived emotion-oriented dyadic coping: β = 0.23, p < .001) and parents (perceived emotion-oriented dyadic coping: β = 0.33, p < .001; perceived problem-oriented dyadic coping: β = 0.22, p < .001). Conclusion: This underscores the importance of communication and adaptive coping strategies of parents and children in the context of a child's chronic condition. These findings may help us find ways to support children and their parents to optimally communicate about and deal with their stress.

Original languageEnglish
Article number111668
Number of pages7
JournalJournal of Psychosomatic Research
Volume181
Early online date16 Apr 2024
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Jun 2024

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2024

Keywords

  • Actor-partner-interdependence model
  • Adolescence
  • Chronic condition
  • Dyadic coping
  • Parent-child relationship
  • Stress communication

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