Banihani Shamieh, Zimmer Samantha, Tagvoryan Annie, Setaghiyan Helen, Novak Daniel, Osei Adwoa
School of Medicine, University of California, Riverside.
Fam Syst Health. 2025 Jun;43(2):382-385. doi: 10.1037/fsh0000951. Epub 2025 Jan 6.
Prolonged activation of the body's stress response from chronic exposure to adverse stressors may have a significant impact on lifelong psychosocial functioning. Screening for the impact of prolonged adversity in childhood has become an integral component of pediatric care. While past research has separately explored the impact of caregiver chronic illness and caregiver toxic stress on children, the relationship between caregiver chronic illness disability burden, caregiver parental toxic stress, and their child's psychosocial functioning is not well understood. This study aimed to investigate how caregiver chronic illness disability burden and caregiver toxic stress impact childhood psychosocial dysfunction (CPD).
This pilot study was conducted at two free family medicine clinics in Inland Southern California between August and December 2022. It surveyed caregivers with chronic illness of any age or functional capacity who are full-time caretakers of children aged 4-17 years old. Validated screening tools assessed caregiver disability burden (World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule 2.0-12), parental toxic stress (Functional Impact of Toxic Stress for Parents), and pediatric psychosocial functioning (Pediatric Symptom Checklist-17). Regression analysis tested if caregiver scores on these measures predicted CPD. Twenty-nine participants completed the survey.
High caregiver chronic illness disability burden and toxic stress together significantly predicted CPD. Caregiver toxic stress alone predicted CPD, whereas chronic illness disability burden alone did not.
This study highlights the relationship between caregiver chronic illness disability burden, caregiver toxic stress, and childhood psychosocial dysfunction, and may contribute to providing holistic care to children and their caregivers. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).
长期暴露于不良应激源导致身体应激反应的持续激活，可能会对终身心理社会功能产生重大影响。筛查童年期长期逆境的影响已成为儿科护理的一个重要组成部分。虽然过去的研究分别探讨了照顾者慢性病和照顾者毒性应激对儿童的影响，但照顾者慢性病残疾负担、照顾者父母毒性应激与其子女心理社会功能之间的关系尚不清楚。本研究旨在调查照顾者慢性病残疾负担和照顾者毒性应激如何影响儿童心理社会功能障碍（CPD）。
这项试点研究于2022年8月至12月在南加州内陆的两家免费家庭医学诊所进行。它调查了患有任何年龄或功能障碍慢性病的照顾者，这些照顾者是4至17岁儿童的全职照顾者。经过验证的筛查工具评估了照顾者的残疾负担（世界卫生组织残疾评估量表2.0 - 12）、父母毒性应激（父母毒性应激的功能影响）和儿童心理社会功能（儿童症状清单 - 17）。回归分析测试了照顾者在这些测量指标上的得分是否能预测CPD。29名参与者完成了调查。
照顾者的高慢性病残疾负担和毒性应激共同显著预测了CPD。仅照顾者毒性应激就能预测CPD，而仅慢性病残疾负担则不能。
本研究强调了照顾者慢性病残疾负担、照顾者毒性应激与儿童心理社会功能障碍之间的关系，并可能有助于为儿童及其照顾者提供全面护理。（PsycInfo数据库记录（c）2025美国心理学会，保留所有权利）
