Greek Version of the Distress Thermometer for Parents of Children with Dysphagia: A Validation Study

TL;DR

This study validates a Greek version of a tool to measure emotional distress in parents of children with swallowing difficulties, showing it is reliable and effective.

Contribution

The Greek version of the Distress Thermometer for Parents is validated for use in the Greek Cypriot community with children with feeding and swallowing disorders.

Findings

The DT-P showed excellent reliability (Cronbach’s α = 0.928) and strong test–retest consistency.

Parents of children with feeding and swallowing disorders reported significantly higher distress levels than those without such difficulties.

The tool effectively discriminates distress with an AUC of 0.76 for younger children and 0.77 for older children.

Abstract

Background/Objectives: The Distress Thermometer for Parents represents an excellent tool for the rapid assessment of emotional distress in parents of children with a variety of chronic diseases. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of the Distress Thermometer for Parents in assessing emotional distress in parents and caregivers of children with feeding and swallowing difficulties feeding swallowing disorders or, dysphagia, in the Greek Cypriot community. Methods: It involved 200 Greek Cypriot participants: 100 parents/caregivers of children with FSD and 100 parents/caregivers of children without such difficulties. Demographic and clinical data were collected and test–retest reliability was evaluated. Results: The DT-P demonstrated excellent reliability (Cronbach’s α = 0.928) and strong test–retest consistency (r = 1.00, p < 0.001). ROC analysis showed strong discrimination for detecting distress, with an AUC of 0.76 for parents of children under 24 months and 0.77 for parents of children over 2 years (p < 0.01). Parents reported a medium level of distress (M = 3.67, SD = 2.89), with “Emotional Problems” (M = 2.03, SD = 2.28) and “Practical Problems” (M = 1.79, SD = 2.12) contributing most significantly. Independent t-tests revealed significantly higher distress levels in parents in the clinical group compared to the parents in the typical group (p < 0.001), confirming the DT-P’s sensitivity and validity. Conclusions: The Greek version of the DT-P is a reliable and valid tool assessing distress in parents of children with PFD. This study highlights significantly higher distress levels in these parents compared to those of typically developing children, emphasizing the need for targeted support.

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