Working Parents

Abstract

Background: A series of studies has demonstrated that sick children fare better when their parents are present. Objective: To examine working conditions that determine whether parents can spend time with and become involved in the care of their children when they are sick. Design: Survey with a multivariate analysis of factors influencing parental care of sick children. Participants: Mixed-income urban working parents aged 26 to 29 years participating in the Baltimore Parenthood Study. Results: Only 42% of working parents in our sample cared for their young children when they became sick. A multivariate logistic regression analysis was conducted to predict which parents stayed at home when their children were sick. Those parents who had either paid sick or vacation leave were 5.2 times as likely to care for their children themselves when they were sick. Of parents with less than a high school education, 17% received paid leave, compared with 57% of parents with a general equivalency diploma, 76% of parents with a high school diploma, and 92% of parents with more than a high school education (PϽ.001). Conclusions: The finding that many parents were unable to care for their sick children themselves is important for pediatric care. While low-income children are more likely to face marked health problems and to be in need of parental care, they are more likely to live in households in which parents lack paid leave and cannot afford to take unpaid leave.

Barriers to Specialty Care and Specialty Referral Completion in the Community Health Center Setting

“…These barriers are likely to be particularly prevalent among underserved families, whose jobs often provide less flexibility 18,19 and who may have fewer resources for childcare or transportation options. 20,21 It is important to note, however, that none of these common community-level barriers was significantly associated with incomplete specialty referral.…”

The lack of paid sick leave as a barrier to cancer screening and medical care-seeking: results from the National Health Interview Survey

“…The percentage of workers with access to paid sick leave is lowest among service workers, workers in construction and maintenance, transportation workers, and part-time workers, and highest among managers and professional workers. This occupational structure disproportionately affects women who are more likely to be low-wage and part-time workers [27]. …”

Fathers' Involvement in Child Health Care: Associations with Prenatal Involvement, Parents' Beliefs, and Maternal Gatekeeping

“…With respect to fathers' direct engagement, we measured the frequency with which fathers reported taking their children to the doctor and staying home with their child when the child was ill. Fathers' attendance at well-child visits, which constitute a significant portion of doctors' visits for infants, is considered to be a critical component of fathers' involvement in their child's health care as these visits represent opportunities to learn valuable information about the health and development of the child (Garfield & Isacco, 2006;Moore & Kotelchuck, 2004). Moreover, parents' involvement in care for their ill children is critical to children's rapid recovery from illness (Heymann, Toomey, & Furstenberg, 1999). Our assessment of fathers' perceptions of influence in child health-related decision making was considered to be an aspect of the responsibility component because when fathers believe they have influence over parenting decisions, they are more involved in child-related decision making (Minton & Pasley, 1996).…”