Psychological Characteristics of Mothers of Children with Chronic Illnesses: A Focus on Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus.

Background

Mothers of children with Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus (T1DM) frequently face high levels of psychological stress. While the impact of this stress on caregiving is well documented, the potential role of spirituality as a protective factor has received limited attention.

Objective

This cross-sectional study aimed to assess the relationships among psychological symptoms, spirituality, and coping in mothers caring for children with T1DM, with a particular focus on the potential protective role of spirituality in caregiver resilience.

Methods

A total of 134 mothers completed validated Greek versions of the Symptom Checklist-90 (SCL-90) and the Spiritual and Religious Attitudes in Dealing with Illness (SpREUK) questionnaire. Descriptive statistics, Pearson correlations, and multiple linear regression analyses were used to explore associations and predictive relationships.

Results

Participants reported elevated psychological symptoms, particularly somatization, anxiety, and depression. Regression analysis revealed that trust in higher guidance was a significant negative predictor of somatization (b = -0.775, p < 0.001), indicating a potential buffering effect. In contrast, the search for support was positively associated with somatization (b = 0.704, p < 0.001), suggesting a more reactive coping pattern. Other spiritual variables, including the total spirituality score and reflection, were not statistically significant in the multivariate model.

Conclusions

These findings highlight the relevance of spirituality-particularly spiritual trust-in understanding psychological distress among caregiving mothers. Incorporating existential and spiritual elements into psychosocial interventions may enhance maternal well-being. Longitudinal studies are needed to clarify spirituality's role as a protective or mediating factor in chronic caregiving contexts.