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Impact of Tourette’s Disorder on Parent Reported Stress

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Abstract

We examined the relationship between Tourette’s Disorder (TD) and parent reported stress. About 84 parents of children with TD participated by completing questionnaires assessing parental stress, TD symptom severity, co-morbid disorders, services received by the child, and parents’ perception of their child’s academic ability. The results indicate that parent reported stress reached clinically significant levels when a co-morbid disorder was present, but not with a diagnosis of TD alone. Similarly, parents report higher levels of stress when they view their child as performing below other students academically. Finally, the types of services that the child receives were found to have little or no relationship to parent reported stress. Limitations of this study, directions for future research, and implications for intervention are discussed.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Silver Child Development Center, University of South Florida, 12901 Bruce B. Downs Blvd, MDC 102, Tampa, FL, 33612, USA

    Berney J. Wilkinson & Brenda Curtwright

  2. Department of Psychological and Social Foundations, University of South Florida, Lakeland, FL, USA

    Richard M. Marshall

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  1. Berney J. Wilkinson
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  2. Richard M. Marshall
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Correspondence to Berney J. Wilkinson.

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Wilkinson, B.J., Marshall, R.M. & Curtwright, B. Impact of Tourette’s Disorder on Parent Reported Stress. J Child Fam Stud 17, 582–598 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-007-9176-8

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