One hundred thirty-one children with CF and 39 children with PCD and their primary caregivers were enrolled in the study. Ethnicity of all patients were Caucasian. Sixty-six (50.4%) of the children with CF and 20 (51.3%) of the children with PCD were female (p=0.087). The mean age of the children was 6.5 ± 5.3 years in the CF group, and 10.4 ± 4.6 years in the PCD group (p=0.001). The numbers of hospital visits and hospitalizations were higher and the length of hospitalizations was longer in the previous 6 months in the CF group than in the PCD group (p=0.006, p=0.011, and p=0.001 respectively). The sociodemographic features and clinical characteristics of the children in the CF and PCD groups are displayed in Table 1.

All children’s primary caregivers were their mothers. Fifty-seven (43.5%) of the mothers in the CF group and 19 (48.0%) in the PCD group had an assistant – in all cases, a relative. Consanguinity were present in 67 of the mothers (51.1%) in the CF group and 17 (43.5%) in the PCD group. The sociodemographic characteristics of the children’s mothers are shown in Table 2.

The median mSKS of the CF group was 90 (min: 10, max: 100). The mSKS was excellent in 66.7% of children, good in 17.5%, mild in 10.6%, moderate in 3.0%, and severe in 2.2%.

Only one mother in the PCD group with moderate depression and two mothers in the CF group with mild and severe depression, respectively, were receiving antidepressant treatment. A comparison of the mothers’ mean BDS, MBI, ZCBS, and PARI scores is given in Table 3.

There were no significant differences in BDI, MBI, ZCBS, and PARI scores according to the mothers’ educational levels and occupational status, family type, the number of children, presence of an assistant, and work and family problems related to their children’s hospitalization in each group (p>0.05). The BDI scores were higher in mothers who had another child with chronic disease (p=0.046), low family income (p=0.014), and children with colonization (p=0.008) in the CF group. Burnout was higher in both the CF and PCD groups with low family income (p=0.022 and p=0.034, respectively). The ZCBS scores were higher in mothers with a history of sibling death in the CF group (p=0.002). The mSKS was lower in children with CF with bacterial colonization (p=0.028). Democratic attitude was lower in mothers with consanguinity in the CF group (p=0.016). Over-protectiveness and strictness scores were higher in mothers with high family income in the CF group (p=0.041 and p=0.024, respectively). Rejection of the homemaker role scores was higher in mothers who had another child with chronic disease in the PCD group (p=0.001).

There were no correlation between the ages of children with CF and PCD and BDI, MBI, ZCBS, and PARI scores of their mothers. The number of hospital visits, hospitalizations, and the duration of hospitalizations in the previous 6 months were negatively correlated with the children’ FEV₁ (r= -0.443, p=0.001; r= -0.469, p=0.001; r= -0.478, p=0.001, respectively) and FVC (r= -0.496, p=0.001; r= -0.362, p=0.007; r= -0.361, p=0.007, respectively) in the PFT results of children with CF. Also, the number of hospitalizations in the previous 6 months were negatively correlated with BMI in the PCD group (r= -0.238, p=0.043). Correlations between children’s hospital visits and length of hospitalization with mothers’ scores are given in Table 4.

In the CF group, the BDI scores of mothers were correlated with mSKS, burnout, ZCBS and over-protectiveness scores (r= -0.311, p=0.004; r=0.483, p=0.001; r=0.259, p=0.010; r= -0.267, p=0.005, respectively). The mSKS of children was correlated with burnout, democratic attitude, and marital conflict scores of mothers (r= -0.232, p=0.033; r=0.290, p=0.007; r=0.348, p=0.001 respectively). The burnout scores of mothers were correlated with ZCBS, democratic attitude, and strictness scores (r=0.468, p=0.001; r= -0.242, p=0.015; r= -0.222, p=0.026, respectively). The ZCBS scores of mothers were correlated with over-protectiveness and strictness scores (r= -0.243, p=0.014; r= -0.339, p=0.001, respectively). The over-protectiveness scores of mothers were correlated with rejection of the homemaker role, marital conflict, and strictness scores (r=0.431, p=0.0001; r=0.474, p=0.001; r=0.713, p=0.001 respectively).

In the PCD group, the BDI scores of mothers were correlated with burnout and ZCBS scores (r=0.582, p=0.001; r=0.622, p=0.001, respectively). The ZCBS scores of mothers were correlated with burnout and marital conflict scores (r=0.488, p=0.009; r=0.388, p=0.031, respectively). The burnout scores of mothers were correlated with marital conflict scores (r= 0.407, p=0.026). The democratic attitude scores of mothers were negatively correlated with over-protectiveness and strictness scores (r=-0.394, p=0.025; r= -0.617, p=0.001, respectively). The rejection of the homemaker role of mothers was correlated with marital conflict and strictness scores (r=0.457, p=0.010; r=0.657, p=0.001, respectively). The marital conflict of mothers was correlated with strictness scores (r=0.483, p=0.006).