HHS HealthBeat (April 20, 2007)

Stressed families, feverish kids

From the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, I’m Ira Dreyfuss with HHS HealthBeat.

Being sick with worry is not just a way of talking. A study indicates families with more stress have kids who are more likely to be sick.

Researcher Mary Caserta of the University of Rochester Medical Center compared the number of fevers among five- to 10-year-olds with their parents’ answers in surveys on stress. She looked at conditions like depression and anxiety, and whether parents felt overwhelmed by parenting.

Her study in Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine was supported by the National Institutes of Health:

"Children living in the highest-stressed homes had the most overall illnesses, and they had the most illnesses with fever." (6 seconds)

The study didn’t look at whether reducing family stress would also reduce the number of illnesses. But Caserta says reducing stress is a good idea anyway, and worth trying.

Learn more at www.hhs.gov.

HHS HealthBeat is a production of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. I'm Ira Dreyfuss.

Last revised: April, 23 2007