Mental health problems in children of somatically ill parents, e.g. multiple sclerosis

Impact of parental multiple sclerosis on early childhood development: A retrospective cohort study

“…Previous studies have shown that mother-daughter interactions during work and play tasks were perceived as similar, irrespective of whether the mother had MS. 31 Similarly, other studies have shown that children with an MS-affected parent did not appear to differ from the community norms for overall difficulties and externalizing problems. 6,9 However, these studies showed that parents with MS were more likely to report that their children had psychological problems. 6,9 Relying on parental perception, and other study limitations including the lack of an appropriate comparison group and failure to adjust for important confounders are other potential explanations for some of the contradictory findings with regard to parental MS and developmental outcomes in children.…”

“…6,9 However, these studies showed that parents with MS were more likely to report that their children had psychological problems. 6,9 Relying on parental perception, and other study limitations including the lack of an appropriate comparison group and failure to adjust for important confounders are other potential explanations for some of the contradictory findings with regard to parental MS and developmental outcomes in children. 13,32 Our finding that a child's duration of exposure to parental MS was not associated with adverse developmental outcomes, except for the significant association with physical health and well-being, is not consistent with previous studies that have reported negative psychosocial behavior among children of MS parents.…”

“…Owing to the broad array of potential health effects, including physical and cognitive disability, MS can cause considerable stress and anxiety to individuals and their families, and indirectly affect the developmental health of children. 7,8 Indeed, childhood anxiety is a common factor identified in the sparse literature on children of parents with MS. 9,10 The few cross-sectional studies published show that children with an MS parent are at risk of adjustment difficulties, particularly internalizing disorders and behavioral disturbances, which are associated with later depressive disorders. 7,11 The studies that have addressed the issue of psychosocial well-being of children with an MS parent have methodological limitations including cross-sectional design, lack of a comparison group, 12,13 self-reported data, 13 and failure to adjust for relevant confounding variables.…”

Nettilbud for barn og unge med MS-syk forelder

“…Dette behovet står i motsetning til foreldres umiddelbare tanke om at de vil skåne barna for vanskelig og bekymringsfull informasjon (9,10). Videre bør barn og unge få støtte til å takle egen hverdag ved å laere gode mestringsstrategier (5,11).…”

Parents’ expressed emotion and mood, rather than their physical disability are associated with adolescent adjustment: a longitudinal study of families with a parent with multiple sclerosis

“…Research in multiple sclerosis suggests that illness exacerbations are linked with a decrease in maternal affection towards their children (2), and parental functional impairment is associated with lower child's satisfaction with life (3). In addition, cross-sectional studies in parental multiple sclerosis showed that family dysfunction, parental depressive symptoms and lack of social support are associated with child's externalising symptoms, such as aggression, and delinquent behaviour (4,5). On the other hand, the severity of multiple sclerosis is associated with children's internalising symptoms, such as anxiety, depression and withdrawal (5).…”