The relationship of parental overprotection, perceived child vulnerability, and parenting stress to uncertainty in youth with chronic illness.

Objective: To examine the relationship of parent-reported overprotection (OP), perceived child vulnerability (PCV), and parenting stress (PS) to youth-reported illness uncertainty, and to explore potential developmental differences.

Method: Eighty-two children and 82 adolescents (n = 164) diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes mellitus (DM1) or asthma, completed a measure of illness uncertainty, while their parents completed measures of OP, PCV, and PS.

Results: After controlling for demographic and illness parameters, both PCV and PS significantly predicted youth illness uncertainty in the combined sample.