A longitudinal examination of the parent-child distress relationship in children with juvenile rheumatic disease.

OBJECTIVE To examine the longitudinal relationships between parent and child distress in a sample of children with juvenile rheumatic diseases (JRDs). DESIGN Cross-lagged panel correlation analysis tested the temporal precedence of parent distress versus child distress over a 1-year period. PARTICIPANTS Thirty-seven children (ages 9-17 years; 22 girls) diagnosed with JRD and their parents completed self-report measures on 2 occasions (assessment interval M = 12 months). PRIMARY OUTCOME MEASURES Child Depression Inventory and Brief Symptom Inventory. RESULTS Significant cross-sectional parent-child distress associations were observed at both time points. Moreover, Time 1 parent distress predicted child distress at Time 2 after child-reported functional ability was controlled; Time 1 child distress was unrelated to Time 2 parent distress. Cross-lagged panel correlations demonstrated the temporal precedence of parent distress relative to child distress in the parent-child distress relationship. CONCLUSIONS These preliminary findings underscore the importance of parent distress in parent-child transactional adjustment, and suggest a predominant role for parent distress in children's adjustment to JRDs.