SAN FRANCISCO—Strong emotional links between children with chronic conditions and their family caregivers suggest that improving parent well-being may directly benefit a child's overall health and coping mechanisms, according to a study being presented Saturday at ENDO 2025, the Endocrine Society's annual meeting in San Francisco, Calif.
The study observed children with growth hormone deficiency and their caregivers to better understand the impact that physical or emotional distress can have. Findings suggest that when parents or caregivers of children with growth hormone deficiency report symptoms of stress, anxiety and depression, so does the child they are caring for. Conversely, when caregivers exuded hope and emotional stability, children with growth hormone deficiency were better able to cope with their condition and showed improved overall health.
"We've long recognized the stress caregivers face, but our study shows just how intertwined parent and child health really are," said Luis Fernandez Luque, Ph.D., chief scientific officer and co-founder of Adhera Health in Santa Cruz, Calif., which developed the digital companion platform used by the caregivers in the study. "Supporting the caregiver isn't just helpful—it is essential to improving outcomes for children with growth hormone deficiency or other chronic pediatric conditions."
The study followed 50 caregivers of children with growth hormone deficiency over a three-month period during participation in Adhera Health's digital health program focused on caregiver wellbeing. Caregivers completed a series of validated assessments measuring their own emotional and mental health and reported on the child's physical and emotional status.
Findings indicated that a children's emotional and physical health are strongly correlated with caregiver well-being. Greater child distress, such as negative feelings about treatment or difficulty coping with growth hormone deficiency, was associated with higher caregiver stress, anxiety and depressive symptoms. In addition, caregiver hopefulness about the future was linked to better emotional outcomes in the child.
"This research confirms the well-being of children with chronic conditions is inseparable from the emotional health of their caregivers," said Ricardo C. Berrios, CEO and co-founder of Adhera Health, who was a co-author of the study. "Adhera's AI-powered platform was designed from the ground up to support this dynamic, combining behavioral science and responsible AI to empower families—not just patients. These findings strengthen our conviction that improving outcomes for children requires an ecosystem approach, one that puts caregivers at the center of pediatric chronic care."
The study was supported by Merck KGaA in Darmstadt, Germany.
