A comparison of the stress and coping strategies between the parents of children with Duchenne muscular dystrophy and children with a fever.

This university hospital-based case control study included 31 parents with a Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) child and 30 parents (control group) of a child with a fever. The study was conducted in southern Taiwan. The study compared the differences of stress and coping strategies between the two groups using closed-ended questionnaires. The control group (fever group) showed higher "stress," "conflict," and "help needs." The DMD subjects had a tendency to use wish-fulfilling fantasy to cope. "Impact" was influenced by income and religion, and income and mother's age influenced coping strategies. Professionals need to manage the parent's conflict, to provide information and resources, and to support the parent's emotional reactions to caring for a child with acute and chronic illness.