Antecedents of Mental Health in Parents of Individuals Born with ARM: The Association Between Illness Representations, Negative and Positive Coping, and Depressive Symptoms

In brief

This study examines psychological factors affecting parents of children with anorectal malformations, investigating how parents' perceptions of their child's condition and their coping mechanisms relate to depressive symptoms. Using the Common-Sense Model framework, researchers explore both direct and indirect pathways between illness beliefs and parental mental health outcomes.

• Parents of children with ARMs experience depressive symptoms linked to how they perceive the illness threat and their sense of control over it.
• Illness representations (threat/control perceptions) influence parental mental health both directly and indirectly through coping strategies.
• The Common-Sense Model framework helps identify modifiable psychological factors that could be targeted in parent support interventions.
• Understanding parental coping mechanisms is essential for developing mental health support programs in pediatric ARM care settings.
• Negative coping strategies mediate the relationship between threatening illness perceptions and increased depressive symptoms in ARM parents.

Written by the GCMD Library team from the article.