Pre-bereavement meaning and post-bereavement distress in mothers of children who underwent haematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to explore the association of meaning-making with psychological adjustment to bereavement among mothers of children who had undergone haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT).

Design: A prospective research design was used. Regression analyses were conducted to determine the relations between pre-bereavement variables (distress, searching for meaning, and finding meaning) and distress post-bereavement.

Social behavior problems in boys with Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is a chronic, progressive pediatric disease that affects both muscle and brain. The objectives of the study were to examine parent reported behavior in children with DMD, investigate the influence of chronic illness, intellectual ability and etiology on behavior, and determine whether a specific behavioral profile is associated with DMD. Parental ratings of boys with DMD (n = 181) on the Child Behavior Checklist behavior scales were examined and compared to reported findings of children with other chronic illnesses, unaffected siblings of boys with DMD (n = 86), and children with cerebral palsy (CP) (n = 42).

Cognitive processing among mothers of children undergoing bone marrow/stem cell transplantation.

Objective: This study investigated the role of cognitive processing in maternal adjustment to a life-threatening pediatric medical procedure (bone marrow/stem cell transplantation: BMT/SCT).

Methods: Ninety-one mothers participated in structured interviews about their fears, intrusions, avoidance, and distress regarding their child's BMT/SCT at two time points: during their child's hospitalization and during his/her recovery. Structural equation modeling was used to determine the role of fears, intrusions, and avoidance in mothers' distress.

Parental stress in mothers of boys with duchenne muscular dystrophy.

Objective: To examine parental stress in mothers of boys with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD).

Method: Stress and its predictors were examined in mothers of boys with DMD (n = 112). Comparisons were made with mothers of healthy children (n = 800), children with cerebral palsy (CP; n = 28), siblings of boys with DMD (n = 46), and longitudinally (n = 16).

Three wishes and psychological functioning in boys with duchenne muscular dystrophy.

This study examined Three Wishes (a projective technique commonly used with children) in boys with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), a fatal, progressive illness (n = 74). A reliable and parsimonious scoring system was developed to code wish type. Probands' responses were compared with unaffected siblings (n = 32) and a male comparison group (n = 43).

Predictors of PTSD in mothers of children undergoing bone marrow transplantation: the role of cognitive and social processes.

Objective: To investigate the role of cognitive and social processing in posttraumatic stress symptoms and disorder (PTSD) among mothers of children undergoing bone marrow and hematopoietic stem-cell transplantation (BMT/SCT).

Method: Questionnaires assessing emotional distress, BMT-related fears, and negative responses of family and friends were completed by 90 mothers at the time of the BMT infusion and 3 and 6 months post-BMT. PTSD symptoms were measured 6 months post-BMT by both paper-and-pencil and structured interview methods.