Family Factors and the Psychological Well-Being of Children and Adolescents with Inflammatory Bowel Disease—An Exploratory Study

<b>Background/Objectives</b>: The aim of our study was to examine the influence of family structure and the number of siblings on psychological problems and illness-related emotions in children and adolescents with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and the relationship between emotional c...

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Main Authors: Chantal Hieronymi, Kalina Kaul, Jan de Laffolie, Burkhard Brosig, on behalf of Cedata-GPGE AG
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-04-01
Series:Children
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9067/12/5/575
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author Chantal Hieronymi
Kalina Kaul
Jan de Laffolie
Burkhard Brosig
on behalf of Cedata-GPGE AG
author_facet Chantal Hieronymi
Kalina Kaul
Jan de Laffolie
Burkhard Brosig
on behalf of Cedata-GPGE AG
author_sort Chantal Hieronymi
collection DOAJ
description <b>Background/Objectives</b>: The aim of our study was to examine the influence of family structure and the number of siblings on psychological problems and illness-related emotions in children and adolescents with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and the relationship between emotional coping in children and parents. <b>Methods</b>: CEDNA is a nationwide German online and paper-based questionnaire administered between October 2021 and April 2022. Adolescents with IBD, aged 12 to 17 years, and parents of children aged 0 to 17 years with diagnosed IBD, were included. SAS was used for descriptive statistics and logistic regression analysis was performed using R Studio (PBC; 2023.06.0 + 421). <b>Results</b>: 1158 participants (450 adolescents and 708 parents) were included in the study. A two-parent household could not be associated with mental illness as a comorbidity in pediatric IBD patients (<i>p</i> = 0.06) but was shown to decrease the risk of sadness (<i>p</i> < 0.001), helplessness (<i>p</i> < 0.01), feeling left alone and lonely (<i>p</i> < 0.05). A single-parent household increased the risk of sadness (<i>p</i> = 0.001), helplessness (<i>p</i> = 0.002), and loneliness (<i>p</i> = 0.006). Having one to two siblings was associated with a lower risk of mental health problems (<i>p</i> = 0.03) and reduced anxiety (<i>p</i> = 0.005). An association was also found between parents and children’s emotional coping skills. <b>Conclusions</b>: Further research on family structure and siblings in pediatric IBD is needed, given the potential impact on children’s psychological well-being.
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spelling doaj-art-de02b73b16104f4b89e2e6095424c2912025-08-20T02:33:42ZengMDPI AGChildren2227-90672025-04-0112557510.3390/children12050575Family Factors and the Psychological Well-Being of Children and Adolescents with Inflammatory Bowel Disease—An Exploratory StudyChantal Hieronymi0Kalina Kaul1Jan de Laffolie2Burkhard Brosig3on behalf of Cedata-GPGE AG4Department of General Paediatrics and Neonatology, University Children’s Hospital, Justus-Liebig-Universität Gießen, Feulgenstr 12, 35392 Gießen, GermanyDepartment of General Paediatrics and Neonatology, University Children’s Hospital, Justus-Liebig-Universität Gießen, Feulgenstr 12, 35392 Gießen, GermanyDepartment of General Paediatrics and Neonatology, University Children’s Hospital, Justus-Liebig-Universität Gießen, Feulgenstr 12, 35392 Gießen, GermanyDepartment of General Paediatrics and Neonatology, University Children’s Hospital, Justus-Liebig-Universität Gießen, Feulgenstr 12, 35392 Gießen, GermanyDepartment of General Paediatrics and Neonatology, University Children’s Hospital, Justus-Liebig-Universität Gießen, Feulgenstr 12, 35392 Gießen, Germany<b>Background/Objectives</b>: The aim of our study was to examine the influence of family structure and the number of siblings on psychological problems and illness-related emotions in children and adolescents with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and the relationship between emotional coping in children and parents. <b>Methods</b>: CEDNA is a nationwide German online and paper-based questionnaire administered between October 2021 and April 2022. Adolescents with IBD, aged 12 to 17 years, and parents of children aged 0 to 17 years with diagnosed IBD, were included. SAS was used for descriptive statistics and logistic regression analysis was performed using R Studio (PBC; 2023.06.0 + 421). <b>Results</b>: 1158 participants (450 adolescents and 708 parents) were included in the study. A two-parent household could not be associated with mental illness as a comorbidity in pediatric IBD patients (<i>p</i> = 0.06) but was shown to decrease the risk of sadness (<i>p</i> < 0.001), helplessness (<i>p</i> < 0.01), feeling left alone and lonely (<i>p</i> < 0.05). A single-parent household increased the risk of sadness (<i>p</i> = 0.001), helplessness (<i>p</i> = 0.002), and loneliness (<i>p</i> = 0.006). Having one to two siblings was associated with a lower risk of mental health problems (<i>p</i> = 0.03) and reduced anxiety (<i>p</i> = 0.005). An association was also found between parents and children’s emotional coping skills. <b>Conclusions</b>: Further research on family structure and siblings in pediatric IBD is needed, given the potential impact on children’s psychological well-being.https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9067/12/5/575pediatric inflammatory bowel diseaseulcerative colitisCrohn’s diseasepsychosocial factorsfamily structure
spellingShingle Chantal Hieronymi
Kalina Kaul
Jan de Laffolie
Burkhard Brosig
on behalf of Cedata-GPGE AG
Family Factors and the Psychological Well-Being of Children and Adolescents with Inflammatory Bowel Disease—An Exploratory Study
Children
pediatric inflammatory bowel disease
ulcerative colitis
Crohn’s disease
psychosocial factors
family structure
title Family Factors and the Psychological Well-Being of Children and Adolescents with Inflammatory Bowel Disease—An Exploratory Study
title_full Family Factors and the Psychological Well-Being of Children and Adolescents with Inflammatory Bowel Disease—An Exploratory Study
title_fullStr Family Factors and the Psychological Well-Being of Children and Adolescents with Inflammatory Bowel Disease—An Exploratory Study
title_full_unstemmed Family Factors and the Psychological Well-Being of Children and Adolescents with Inflammatory Bowel Disease—An Exploratory Study
title_short Family Factors and the Psychological Well-Being of Children and Adolescents with Inflammatory Bowel Disease—An Exploratory Study
title_sort family factors and the psychological well being of children and adolescents with inflammatory bowel disease an exploratory study
topic pediatric inflammatory bowel disease
ulcerative colitis
Crohn’s disease
psychosocial factors
family structure
url https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9067/12/5/575
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