Chronic Pediatric Health Disorders in Economically Disadvantaged Families: An Assessment of Stress and Coping in Children and Parents

Abstract

Families of children with chronic pediatric health disorders (CPHD) find their daily lives to be stressful due to the health status of their children. Families in disadvantaged areas have additional stressors due to the limited income and lack of resources. For the families that were identified and sampled for this research study the environment they live in could be classified as highly disadvantaged because the rural town in eastern North Carolina sits on the bank of the Pamlico River and requires families to drive nearly 30 minutes to get to necessary resources. Gas stations, schools, grocery stores and health centers all are located out of the area where families live. While the museum that hosted this research study is central to the school and the town in question, most families live in surrounding areas. For parents who cannot afford a vehicle or gas to get places, the needs of these families are potentially different from other families who have resources close to their homes. With these characteristics in mind there appears to be a lack of available research addressing the specific interest of this research study: coping methods of children with CPHD and their families who are in economic disadvantaged areas. This study seeks to identify what methods of coping are being used by children who have CPHD and their families. Information was gathered through face- to face and phone interviews with six parent and child dyads. Results showed that in the absence of physical resources parents and children often turn to social resources for support. Parents and children who have chronic disorders that require more attention and resources seem to had closer interview responses related to coping and stress than those who are dealing with disorders that require less management.