Memory performances and personality traits in mothers of children with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome

Background: Chronic diseases in pediatric age have been identified as stressful risk factorsfor parents. Studies on caregivers have documented the impact of chronic parenting stress onemotion and cognition.Aim: To investigate the differences between a group of mothers of children affected byobstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) for at least 4 years and a group of mothers oftypically developing children (TDC) in relation to parental stress, self-esteem, locus ofcontrol, and memory performances.Methods: A group of 86 mothers (mean age 35.6±4.9, ranged between 32 and 41 years) ofchildren with OSAS diagnosis, and a group of 52 mothers of TDC (mean age 35.9±4.2,ranged between 32 and 41 years) participated in the study. All participants were administeredstress level, global self-esteem, internal/external locus of control scales, and memoryassessment.Results: Mothers of OSAS children, compared to mothers of TDC, had a significantlyhigher level of stress, lower self-esteem, more external locus of control and poorer memoryperformance.Conclusions: The child respiratory disease, with its sudden and unpredictable features,appeared as a significant source of stress for the mother. Such stress condition may have animpact on mothers’ personality traits (self-esteem, locus of control) and on their memoryperformances. The data have suggested a need for psychological support programs formothers to better manage stress associated with children’s respiratory disease.