Development of the Role-Play Inventory of Situations and Coping Strategies for Parents of Children with Cystic Fibrosis

Abstract

Critiqued previous conceptual and methodological approaches to the measurement of stress and coping. Applied Goldfried and D'Zurilla's behavior-analytic model to create a context-specific measure of problematic situations and coping strategies for parents of school-age children with cystic fibrosis (CF). The sample was stratified by child's gender and illness severity. Forty-seven families (46 mothers, 32 fathers) and 8 health care professionals completed structured interviews or daily diaries to obtain the widest range of problematic situations; 1,725 situations were elicited across all participants and then content-analyzed into 97 nonredundant categories in 11 domains (e.g., Discipline, Medical Care). Few differences were found in problem frequency or difficulty as a function of either gender or illness severity. Using empirical criteria, the most frequent and difficult problem situations were selected and developed into role-play vignettes that include relevant contextual, developmental, and interactional details. The Role-Play Inventory of Situations and Coping Strategies (RISCS) consists of 31 audiotaped vignettes designed to elicit and evaluate the coping strategies used by parents of children with CF.

Determinants of adherence in adults with cystic fibrosis

“…The role of family cohesion, conflict, and stress have been linked to longer term trends in pulmonary functioning and weight gain for children and adolescents with CF. [33][34][35] While the mechanisms for these links remain unclear, 7 it has been postulated that treatment adherence is the mediator of the effect, with those patients experiencing lower family stress, higher parental availability, and positive family coping adhering better to treatments and enjoying better health.…”

Family Functioning and Treatment Adherence in Children and Adolescents with Cystic Fibrosis

“…[6][7][8] There is limited, but encouraging, evidence linking treatment adherence with the family context in families with a child with CF. 9,10 In considering family functioning, observational studies of mealtimes can serve as a microcosm for how families regulate child behavior, manage their affect, communicate, and interact with one another. 11,12 Family mealtimes are often a more difficult routine for families with CF to manage because of the need to comply with increased nutritional demands.…”

Fathers’ Experience of Parenting a Child With Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis

“…Although some have suggested that fathers of chronically ill children experience fewer emotional problems than mothers (Bristol, Gallagher, & Schopler, 1988;Dahlquist, Czyzewshi, & Jones, 1996;Eiser, Havermans, Pancer, & Eiser, 1992), others have suggested that fathers experience more psychological symptoms than mothers (Holmbeck et al, 1997;Lamb & Billings, 1997). On balance, the majority of studies suggest that mothers and fathers experience similar levels of distress (Chaney et al, 1997;Hoekstra-Weebers, Jaspers, Kamps, & Klip, 1998;Nagy & Ungerer, 1990;Quittner et al, 1996;Rousey, Best, & Blacher, 1992); however, such comparisons might be of limited benefit, because we have not understood the nature of the distress that fathers feel. Given the lack of basic knowledge, a question arises about whether appropriate outcome variables have been selected to capture adequately fathers' experiences of parenting a child with a chronic health condition in earlier research.…”