There is a reciprocal relationship between parenting stress and child distress that has been well documented (e.g., Rechenberg, Grey & Sadler, 2017). These effects generalize to physical outcomes such that higher maternal depression has been associated with poorer child health-related quality of life (HRQOL; Jaser, Whittemore, Ambrosino, Lindemann, & Grey, 2008). In the same way that parental distress has been shown to affect the child, parental perceptions of child vulnerability in children with chronic illness has also been associated with negative outcomes, including child depressive symptoms (Mullins et al., 2004), increased health care use (Spurrier et al., 2000), and increased child anxiety (Anthony, Gil, & Schanberg, 2003). Further, few studies have considered positive variables which may be associated with positive HRQOL. One such factor is grit, or the tenacity to persevere (Duckworth, Peterson, Matthews, & Kelly, 2007). Given the role that stress may play in HRQOL, and the lack of research exploring correlates which guard against poor outcomes, the current study aimed to examine the mediating role of perceived child vulnerability within the relationship between parental stress, grit, and child HRQOL. A sample of 67 parents of children with Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS) completed a basic demographic questionnaire, the Parental Stress Scale (Berry & Jones, 1995), the Child Vulnerability Scale (Forsyth, Horwitz, Leventhal, Burger, & Leaf, 1996), the Short Grit Scale (Duckworth & Quinn, 2009), and the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory 4.0 (Varni, Seid, & Kurtin, 2001). Child vulnerability did not mediate the relationship between parental stress and HRQOL or grit and HRQOL.
","abstract_html":"<p>There is a reciprocal relationship between parenting stress and child distress that has been well documented (e.g., Rechenberg, Grey & Sadler, 2017). These effects generalize to physical outcomes such that higher maternal depression has been associated with poorer child health-related quality of life (HRQOL; Jaser, Whittemore, Ambrosino, Lindemann, & Grey, 2008). In the same way that parental distress has been shown to affect the child, parental perceptions of child vulnerability in children with chronic illness has also been associated with negative outcomes, including child depressive symptoms (Mullins et al., 2004), increased health care use (Spurrier et al., 2000), and increased child anxiety (Anthony, Gil, & Schanberg, 2003). Further, few studies have considered positive variables which may be associated with positive HRQOL. One such factor is grit, or the tenacity to persevere (Duckworth, Peterson, Matthews, & Kelly, 2007). Given the role that stress may play in HRQOL, and the lack of research exploring correlates which guard against poor outcomes, the current study aimed to examine the mediating role of perceived child vulnerability within the relationship between parental stress, grit, and child HRQOL. A sample of 67 parents of children with Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS) completed a basic demographic questionnaire, the Parental Stress Scale (Berry & Jones, 1995), the Child Vulnerability Scale (Forsyth, Horwitz, Leventhal, Burger, & Leaf, 1996), the Short Grit Scale (Duckworth & Quinn, 2009), and the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory 4.0 (Varni, Seid, & Kurtin, 2001). Child vulnerability did not mediate the relationship between parental stress and HRQOL or grit and HRQOL.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Armstrong, Abigail"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Master of Arts (MA)","degree_level":"Masters Thesis","degree_discipline":null,"degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Bonnie Nicholson, PhD","Emily Yowell","Michael Madson"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2020,"date_issued":"2020-12-01T08:00:00Z","date_published":"2020-12-01T08:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T05:45:19Z","subjects":["postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome","parental stress","child vulnerability"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://aquila.usm.edu/masters_theses/768","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Bonnie Nicholson, PhD","Emily Yowell","Michael Madson"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Armstrong, Abigail"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2020-08-18T07:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Masters Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Arts (MA)"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome","parental stress","child vulnerability"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://aquila.usm.edu/masters_theses/768"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["There is a reciprocal relationship between parenting stress and child distress that has been well documented (e.g., Rechenberg, Grey & Sadler, 2017). These effects generalize to physical outcomes such that higher maternal depression has been associated with poorer child health-related quality of life (HRQOL; Jaser, Whittemore, Ambrosino, Lindemann, & Grey, 2008). In the same way that parental distress has been shown to affect the child, parental perceptions of child vulnerability in children with chronic illness has also been associated with negative outcomes, including child depressive symptoms (Mullins et al., 2004), increased health care use (Spurrier et al., 2000), and increased child anxiety (Anthony, Gil, & Schanberg, 2003). Further, few studies have considered positive variables which may be associated with positive HRQOL. One such factor is grit, or the tenacity to persevere (Duckworth, Peterson, Matthews, & Kelly, 2007). Given the role that stress may play in HRQOL, and the lack of research exploring correlates which guard against poor outcomes, the current study aimed to examine the mediating role of perceived child vulnerability within the relationship between parental stress, grit, and child HRQOL. A sample of 67 parents of children with Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS) completed a basic demographic questionnaire, the Parental Stress Scale (Berry & Jones, 1995), the Child Vulnerability Scale (Forsyth, Horwitz, Leventhal, Burger, & Leaf, 1996), the Short Grit Scale (Duckworth & Quinn, 2009), and the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory 4.0 (Varni, Seid, & Kurtin, 2001). Child vulnerability did not mediate the relationship between parental stress and HRQOL or grit and HRQOL.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["My Child’s Keeper: Child Vulnerability and Quality of Life on Parental Stress and Grit"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Bonnie Nicholson, PhD","Emily Yowell","Michael Madson"],"dc:creator":["Armstrong, Abigail"],"dc:date.available":["2020-08-18T07:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["There is a reciprocal relationship between parenting stress and child distress that has been well documented (e.g., Rechenberg, Grey & Sadler, 2017). These effects generalize to physical outcomes such that higher maternal depression has been associated with poorer child health-related quality of life (HRQOL; Jaser, Whittemore, Ambrosino, Lindemann, & Grey, 2008). In the same way that parental distress has been shown to affect the child, parental perceptions of child vulnerability in children with chronic illness has also been associated with negative outcomes, including child depressive symptoms (Mullins et al., 2004), increased health care use (Spurrier et al., 2000), and increased child anxiety (Anthony, Gil, & Schanberg, 2003). Further, few studies have considered positive variables which may be associated with positive HRQOL. One such factor is grit, or the tenacity to persevere (Duckworth, Peterson, Matthews, & Kelly, 2007). Given the role that stress may play in HRQOL, and the lack of research exploring correlates which guard against poor outcomes, the current study aimed to examine the mediating role of perceived child vulnerability within the relationship between parental stress, grit, and child HRQOL. A sample of 67 parents of children with Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS) completed a basic demographic questionnaire, the Parental Stress Scale (Berry & Jones, 1995), the Child Vulnerability Scale (Forsyth, Horwitz, Leventhal, Burger, & Leaf, 1996), the Short Grit Scale (Duckworth & Quinn, 2009), and the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory 4.0 (Varni, Seid, & Kurtin, 2001). Child vulnerability did not mediate the relationship between parental stress and HRQOL or grit and HRQOL.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://aquila.usm.edu/masters_theses/768"],"dc:subject":["postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome","parental stress","child vulnerability"],"dc:title":["My Child’s Keeper: Child Vulnerability and Quality of Life on Parental Stress and Grit"],"thesis:degree_level":["Masters Thesis"],"thesis:degree_name":["Master of Arts (MA)"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T05:45:19Z"}