Parenting stress level of children with allergic rhinitis ：Role of children's behavior and parental anxiety

Background : Allergic rhinitis (AR) is a common allergic disease among children and adolescents. Parenting stess is closely related to the health of child patients and the anxiety levels of their parents. It is still unclear how the behavioral problems of these children and parental anxiety together affect parenting stress. Methods: A cross-sectional design and convenience sampling method were employed for 230 parents of children with allergic rhinitis. The Conners' Parent Symptom Questionnaire, Self-Rating Anxiety Scale, and the Simplified Parenting Stress Index were used for assessment. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and structural equation modeling with SPSS 27.0 and AMOS 26.0. Results : The parents of children with AR had a moderate level of parenting stress (31.95±9.41). In the mediating effects model, children’s behavioral problems could influence parenting stress directly (95% CI: 2.556, 3.990) or indirectly through parental anxiety (95% CI: 0.190, 0.759). Conclusions : Behavioral problems of children with AR can have both direct and indirect effects on parenting stress through the mediating factors of parental anxiety.Therefore, when designing supportive interventions, clinicians should consider both the children's clinical symptoms and behavioral issues, as well as the psychological state of their caregivers.On one hand, resources can be directly applied to the children. On the other hand, the utilization of psychological assessment and intervention for caregivers, can alleviate parenting stress and strengthen the family's ability to cope.