Interventions for Reducing Parenting Stress in Families With Pediatric Conditions

Parenting stress increases in the presence of serious-acute or chronic pediatric health conditions, potentially triggering negative outcomes for families. Parenting stress reduction interventions have been widely disseminated. The current review describes the types, components, and outcomes of these interventions in diverse pediatric populations. A systematic literature search yielded 26 experimental and quasi-experimental studies describing such interventions. Quality assessment was conducted by two doctorally prepared nursing researchers using the Downs and Black’s checklist for randomized and nonrandomized studies of health care interventions. Interventions were categorized as follows: interventions with supporting and cognitive components (n = 3), interventions with empowerment and skill development components (n = 18), interventions targeted to children’s condition (n = 9), and interventions focusing on the parent–child relationship (n = 5). Most interventions reduced immediate parenting stress levels (n = 23), but failed to demonstrate long-term gains. Future family interventions should target long-term parenting stress, while focusing on specific family needs across pediatric conditions.