What factors influence feeling competent as a parent with multiple sclerosis?

Objective: To identify factors that influence the perception parents with multiple sclerosis have of their competence in parenting.

Method/design: Subjects were parents of a child with a maximum of 18 years of age recruited through a national multiple sclerosis organization's social media channels. Data on demographic and disease information, mood, coping, quality of life and perceived social support were collected using an anonymous online questionnaire. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to assess associations between these variables and subjects' perception of parenting sense of competence.

Results: The sample consisted of 285 parents with multiple sclerosis, with a mean age of 41 years and a mean disease duration of 10.4 years. In the multivariate analysis, independent determinants of lower parenting sense of competence were anxiety (=0.012), depression (=0.001) and dysfunctional coping (=0.005). Problem-focused coping (=0.029) and higher physical and mental scores on the SF-12 (=0.006, <0.001, respectively) were related to a higher parenting sense of competence. Higher parent age correlated with a lower sense of parenting competence (=0.002).

Conclusions: The perception parents with multiple sclerosis have of their parenting competence was most strongly correlated with mood, coping strategies and health-related quality of life, factors that are potentially modifiable.