Article

AIM: To assess the parenting experience of mothers with cystic fibrosis (CF) and
to compare with normative data. METHODS: Cross-sectional study with a validated
generic parental stress questionnaire (PSQ).
This PSQ differentiates four
components of parental stress: main factor "parental stress", compounding factor
"role restrictions", protective factors "support from spouse", and "social
support". Cut-off scores categorise results as "normal", "borderline" or "concerning". SAMPLE: Seventy-three women were informed by their local CF centre.
Of these, 36 enrolled and had a first-born child aged 1-12 years (consistent with
reference values of the PSQ). Of these, 31 (86%) returned the PSQ. Mean age of
mothers was 32.6 years +/- 6.9 years, mean age of first-born child was 5.2 years
+/- 3.4 years. Most of the mothers had one biological child, five women had two
children and one had three children. RESULTS: Parental stress scores were
normally distributed, the same applies for contributing factors and for the two
protective factors. Favourable scores were twice as frequent as concerning
scores. Mothers of younger children scored slightly better than mothers of
school-aged children. CONCLUSION: In line with the only comparable study, mothers
with CF seem to be a remarkably resilient group who mostly cope well with
parental stress even in the face of a progressive, chronic disease requiring
time-consuming treatment. IMPLICATIONS FOR REHABILITATION:
Today, motherhood is
increasingly becoming an option in fertile women with cystic fibrosis. The
additional burden of parenting seems to be rewarded by fulfilling essential
personal goals. CF clinics should routinely address a possible wish for a child and to discuss it, openly.

Langue : ANGLAIS