Family stress with chronic childhood illness: cystic fibrosis, neuromuscular disease, and renal disease.

Parents of children with neuromuscular disease (N = 16), cystic fibrosis (N = 16), and renal disease (N = 11) were compared with parents of control subjects matched by age to the clinical cases; the instrument used was the Questionnaire on Resources and Stress (QRS). The three clinical groups exhibited different patterns of stressful response, consistent with the nature of their illnesses and the requirements for care imposed on the families. Parents of children with neuromuscular disease reported a wide spectrum of problems, both qualitatively and quantitatively different from those experienced in the other two clinical samples. Parents of children with cystic fibrosis also experienced extensive stress, but less than anticipated. Parents of children with renal disease reported stress in only a few areas, in keeping with the nature of the disease. The relationship between severity of functional impairment from cystic fibrosis and QRS scales was examined and found to be equivocal. The 285-item and 66-item versions of the QRS were compared and judged to be appropriate for different situations (research vs. clinical screening).