The impact of illness intrusiveness and overparenting on depressive symptoms in parents of youth with inflammatory bowel disease

Exploratory factor analysis of the Illness Intrusiveness Rating Scale for parents of children with atypical genital appearance due to differences of sex development (DSD)

OBJECTIVE

Illness intrusiveness refers to the subjective cognitive appraisal of a chronic health condition interfering in daily, valued activities and may be highly relevant for parents of children with atypical genital appearance due to differences of sex development (DSD). However, a measure of illness intrusiveness has not been validated for this population. The current study aimed to evaluate the factor structure of the Illness Intrusiveness Scale for Parents (IIS-P) and examine convergent validity.

METHODS

Participants included 102 parents (Mage = 33.39 years, SD = 6.48; 58% mothers) of 65 children (<2 years old) diagnosed with DSD participating in a larger, longitudinal study. Parents completed the IIS-P as well as self-report measures of stigma, and anxious and depressive symptoms. An exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was conducted.

RESULTS

EFA results supported a 1-factor intrusiveness solution (α = .93), as well as a 2-factor solution measuring intrusiveness on daily living (α = .92) and community connectedness (α = .85). The 1-factor solution and both factors of the 2-factor solution demonstrated significant convergent validity with stigma as well as anxious and depressive symptoms.

CONCLUSIONS

Support emerged for both 1- and 2-factor solutions of the IIS-P in parents of children with DSD. The decision to evaluate illness intrusiveness as a total score or to examine the subscales of daily living and community connectedness should be tailored to the unique aims of researchers and clinicians. Future research should conduct a confirmatory factor analysis with both 1- and 2-factor models with larger, more diverse samples of caregivers.

Anxiety, Depression, and Quality of Life in Parents of Adolescents with Inflammatory Bowel Disease: A Longitudinal Study

Purpose

The parents of adolescents with inflammatory bowel disease may experience impaired mental health and quality of life. This longitudinal study aimed to verify whether the mental health and quality of life of the parents of adolescents with inflammatory bowel disease declined when their children had active disease.

Methods

Sociodemographic data, parental anxiety, depression, and quality of life were analyzed using validated questionnaires for each variable. After the baseline survey, the second and follow-up surveys were conducted at 3 and 12 months, respectively. The active disease group comprised eight parents whose children had active disease during the baseline and second surveys. The remission group comprised 14 parents whose children remained in remission during both surveys. The improved group comprised nine parents whose children experienced active disease at baseline and remission during the second survey. Parental mental health and quality of life were compared among the groups.

Results

Significantly higher levels of anxiety were observed in the active disease group in all surveys (p<0.050). Although depression levels and quality of life did not differ significantly among the three groups, pairing the active disease group with other groups showed some large effect sizes.

Conclusion

Parents tended to experience decreased mental health and quality of life when their adolescents experienced active inflammatory bowel disease. Consequently, our hypothesis was partially verified. Therefore, parents need support when their children have active disease; this finding highlights the need for parental support systems.