Distress in mothers of children with heart disease: Emotion regulation, self-efficacy, caregiving burden and family functioning

Having a child with heart disease is a distressful situation for families, especially for mothers. In the light of the Transactional Stress and Coping Model of Adjustment to Chronic Illness, this study aimed to investigate whether psychopathological states of the mothers whose children had heart disease were predicted by caregiving burden, stress, parenting self-efficacy, family functioning, life satisfaction, and cognitive emotion regulation strategies, with the mediation effects between these variables. With sociodemographic and illness related forms, 7 research instruments were used. Findings suggested that, caregiving burden, stress, family functioning and life satisfaction were the predictors of psychopathological symptoms. Among cognitive emotion regulation strategies, catastrophizing and other blame mediated the relation between stress and psychopathological symptoms; life satisfaction and psychopathological symptoms; and family functioning and psychopathological symptoms. Besides, catastrophizing also mediated the relation between stress and caregiving burden. The findings were generally consistent with the previous research findings. Correlational findings, group differences, predictors and mediation relationships were discussed with the strengths and the limitations of the study, future directions and clinical implications.