Family stress, resources, and family types: chronic illness in children

Family stress, resources, parental coping, and family types were measured in 58 two-parent families who had a child with myelomeningocele. The sample was divided into three groups based on whether the child had a mild, moderate, or severe level of impairment; and the relationships between the family characteristics and the child's health status and number of active health problems were determined. Results show an increasing level of family system involvement contributing to the child health outcomes with increasing severity of impairment. Implications for assessment and intervention by family practitioners are discussed.