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Parents’ Perceptions of Functioning in Families Having a Child with a Genetic Condition
Author(s) -
Knafl Kathleen A.,
Knafl George J.,
Gallo Agatha M.,
Angst Denise
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
journal of genetic counseling
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.867
H-Index - 52
eISSN - 1573-3599
pISSN - 1059-7700
DOI - 10.1007/s10897-006-9084-x
Subject(s) - hardiness (plants) , genetic counseling , quality of life (healthcare) , cluster (spacecraft) , psychology , clinical psychology , developmental psychology , medicine , genetics , psychotherapist , biology , computer science , horticulture , cultivar , programming language
In a study of families having a child with a genetic condition, patterns of family functioning were identified through cluster analysis of families with two spouses. Patterns were based on both parents’ assessments of family satisfaction and hardiness, as measured respectively by the Family APGAR and Family Hardiness Index. The validity and clinical significance of the clusters were supported by demonstrating that cluster membership distinguished between parental reports of their own quality of life and their child's functional status, as measured by the Quality of Life Index and the Functional Status II, respectively. The clusters were non‐categorical in the sense that they did not depend on the type of genetic condition. These findings point to the importance of addressing family functioning as part of genetic counseling.