Factors Affecting the Quality of Life of Parents of Children With Spina Bifida: The Mediating Role of Family Resilience

Abstract

AimsTo investigate factors affecting the quality of life of parents of children with spina bifida and examine how family resilience mediates between parental depression and quality of life.DesignCross-sectional study.MethodsSecondary data analysis was performed using first-year data from a five-year spina bifida cohort project (2022-2026) in South Korea. The study included 162 parents of children aged 4-12 years with spina bifida. Data were collected using the Korean version of the Family Resiliency Scale, the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale, and the WHO Quality of Life Scale.ResultsFactors were found to have a statistically significant influence on the quality of life of parents of children with spina bifida: the child's need for enemas, parental stress, parental depression, and family resilience. Baron & Kenny's mediation analysis and bootstrap analysis in SPSS further confirmed that family resilience plays a mediating role between parental depression and quality of life. The indirect effect of parental depression on quality of life through family resilience was statistically significant, with a 95% confidence interval of [-0.2615, -0.0516].ConclusionThe quality of life of parents with children with spina bifida is significantly influenced by both their child's daily symptom management and their psychological health. Family resilience plays a positive mediating role between parental depression and quality of life.Implications for the Profession and/or Patient CareThese findings support a two-track approach to family resilience building programs and the development of core intervention strategies to enhance the quality of life in spina bifida families.Reporting MethodThis study adhered to Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) guidelines.Patient ContributionThere was no direct patient involvement in the study design, data collection, or analysis.