Mothers with Chronic Disease: A Comparison of Parenting in Mothers with Systemic Sclerosis and Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

Abstract

This study compared parenting ability in mothers with systemic sclerosis (SSc) and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), two chronic, autoimmune, connective tissue diseases that primarily affect women. Seventy-four mothers with SSc and 68 mothers with SLE completed self-report questionnaires on demographic characteristics, pain, fatigue, occupational performance, and parenting. Results showed that mothers with SSc were slightly older, were more educated, and had decreased occupational performance. Mothers with SLE had more pain and fatigue. There were no significant differences between mothers with SSc and SLE who had children 5 years of age and younger. However, there were significant differences between the mothers with SSc and SLE who had children aged 6 to 18 years on four items on the Parenting Disability Index: playing games with child, getting up with child during the night, keeping child out of unsafe situations, and helping child solve personal/social problems. These differences may be due to differences in the levels of pain, fatigue, and occupational performance, possibly stemming from differences in disease manifestations.