Mental Health of Mothers Caring for Ventilator-Assisted Children at Home

Abstract

The complex management of ventilator-assisted children cared for in the home can place emotional and mental strain on parents, in particular, mothers. The purpose of this study was to explore the relationships among functional status of the child, impact of ventilator-assistance on the family, coping, social support, and depression in mothers caring for ventilator-assisted children at home. Thirty-eight mothers participated in the study. Almost half of the mothers experienced depressive mood symptoms. Impact on family was positively related to depression and social support was inversely related to depression. In addition, social support was a significant predictor of depression. The findings show that the high demands related to the care of ventilator-assisted children can be a significant risk factor for poor mental health outcomes of those mothers providing care at home. Interventions by mental health and pediatric nurses should focus on enhancing mothers' coping skills and assisting mothers in accessing a positive social network to help mediate the stress related to caring for their child.

Families With Children With Medical Complexity and Self-Management of Care: A Systematic Review of the Literature

“…The CHIP subscale, Social support, Self-Esteem and Psychological Stability was significantly correlated with somatitization, depression, general health, and mental health (Blucker et al, 2011). Montagnino and Mauricio (2004) found significant correlations between the F-COPES subscale, Mobilizing Family to Acquire and Accept Help and several Impact on Family Scale subscales Blucker et al (2011);Kuster and Badr (2006); and P. B. Sullivan et al (2005) used general health questionnaires for data.…”

“…In two studies, authors describe the same population using cross-sectional (Toly, Musil, & Carl, 2012a) and longitudinal (Toly, Musil, & Carl, 2012b) designs. In two studies, investigators studied the same population analyzing differing variables in each study (Kuster & Badr, 2006;Kuster, Badr, Chang, Wuerker, & Benjamin, 2004). Both sets of authors used follow-up studies to clarify or expand original ideas around the functioning of families with CMC.…”

“…Four of the studies included measures of coping (modifiable influence) such as the Coping Health Inventory for Parents (CHIP) and Family Crisis Oriented Personal Evaluation Scale (F-COPES) (Blucker et al, 2011;Kuster & Badr, 2006;Kuster et al, 2004;Montagnino & Mauricio, 2004). The CHIP subscale, Social support, Self-Esteem and Psychological Stability was significantly correlated with somatitization, depression, general health, and mental health (Blucker et al, 2011).…”

Criança dependente de tecnologia e a demanda de cuidado medicamentoso

“…Studies show that these mothers have emotional, social and physical problems such as trouble falling asleep, as they must wake up to check on the child or give it medicine, and they are socially isolated as well, scoring low on quality of life questionnaires (16)(17) . A survey of mothers of children on mechanical ventilation found that 45% displayed the signs and symptoms of depression (12) .…”

Rehabilitation Considerations for Children Dependent on Long-Term Mechanical Ventilation

“…Home nursing support, in particular night nursing, is important for the health and well-being of familial caregivers of children dependent on long-term MV [102]. Parents report regular disruption to their sleep [103] and the high demands related to the care of a child with long-term MV has been shown to be a significant risk factor for poor mental health outcomes of those mothers providing care at home [104]. The need for improved collaboration and communication between families and caregivers has also been cited as a source of stress for parents [57,105].…”