Prader-Willi Syndrome (PWS) is characterized by behaviors including hyperphagia, skin picking, obsessive compulsive behaviors and stealing. These behaviors are likely to affect parents' psychological functioning. There were very few studies that examine the impact of these characteristic behaviors on parents.
The purpose of this descriptive study was to analyze the relationship between the severity of behaviors (Developmental Behavior Checklist) and parental self-esteem (Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale), depressive symptoms (Beck Depression Inventory-II), marital satisfaction (Quality of Marriage Index) and coping strategies (Coping Strategies Inventory Short-Form). Additionally, two conceptual models, mediation and moderation, were tested to examine which model best describes this relationship.
Analysis supported the mediator effect of coping strategies of parents on the association of child behaviors to parental self-esteem and depressive symptoms. Initiating interventions to assist parents to improve coping strategies, may improve parental psychological functioning for families caring for a child with a genetic condition.