Primary caregivers of in‐home oxygen‐dependent children: predictors of stress based on characteristics, needs and social support

Abstract

Aim. To identify the predictors of primary caregivers' stress in caring for in-home oxygen-dependent children by examining the association between their levels of stress, caregiver needs and social support. Background. Increasing numbers of primary caregivers of oxygen-dependent children experience caregiving stress that warrants investigation. Design. The study used a cross-sectional design with three psychometric scalesModified-Parenting Stress Index, Caregiver Needs Scale and Social Support Index. Methods. The data collected during 2010-2011 were from participants who were responsible for their child's care that included oxygen therapy for ≧6 hours/day; the children's ages ranged from 3 months-16 years. Descriptive statistics and multivariable linear regression were used. Results. A total of 104 participants (M = 34, F = 70) were recruited, with an average age of 39Á7 years. The average age of the oxygen-dependent children was 6Á68 years and their daily use of oxygen averaged 11Á39 hours. The caregivers' overall levels of stress were scored as high and information needs were scored as the highest. The most available support from family and friends was emotional support. Informational support was mostly received from health professionals, but both instrumental and emotional support were important. Levels of stress and caregiver needs were significantly correlated. Multivariable linear regression analyses identified three risk factors predicting stress, namely, the caregiver's poor health status, the child's male gender and the caregiver's greater financial need. Conclusion. To support these caregivers, health professionals can maintain their health status and provide instrumental, emotional, informational and financial support.

The influence of personality traits and socio‐demographic characteristics on paediatric nurses' compassion satisfaction and fatigue

“…The literature has pointed out that nurses' burnout is associated with the Big-Five factors of personality (Adriaenssens et al, 2015;Alarcon et al, 2009;Cañadas-De la Fuente et al, 2015). In particular, emotional stability has been established as associated with compassion fatigue, this is consistent with other studies showing that burnout is greatly need to face with the families who often reported experiencing a high level of emotional stress and uncertainty due to their child's critical stage and the frequency and severity of discomfort symptoms (Wang, Chen, et al, 2016;Wang, Lin, et al, 2016). Therefore, support resources to enhance emotional stability and offer social connection available for paediatric nurses are important to help them dealing with conflicts and hardship in work and life.…”

“…The literature does report that working women who lack resources and family connections may be more likely to receive less psychosocial support when encountering difficulties and stress (Alarcon et al., ; Cañadas‐De la Fuente et al., ). Moreover, while paediatric nurses working in general paediatric wards would have more encounters (time and quality) to develop positive and intimate relationship with child‐patients and their families, those working in the CCUs where more invasive and painful procedures and treatments are often needed for the survival of children with critical illness, need to face with the families who often reported experiencing a high level of emotional stress and uncertainty due to their child's critical stage and the frequency and severity of discomfort symptoms (Wang, Chen, et al., ; Wang, Lin, et al., ). Therefore, support resources to enhance emotional stability and offer social connection available for paediatric nurses are important to help them dealing with conflicts and hardship in work and life.…”

“…Four determinants of the paediatric nurses were identified as predicting their level of compassion satisfactionagreeableness, extraversion, conscientiousness and engaging with outdoor activities-and accounted for 43.6% of total variance of compassion satisfaction. Barnard, 2004Barnard, , 2008Wang, Chen, & Chen, 2016;Wang, Lin, Lee, & Lee, 2016). Witnessing and performing repeated painful and difficult procedures and treatments for children who have a critical illness, while concurrently dealing with the emotional burdens of these families have been described as the triggers for compassion fatigue among paediatric nurses (Maytum, Heiman, & Garwick, 2004;Meadors & Lamson, 2008;Robins et al, 2009).…”

“…Paediatric nurses need to provide direct care for children with illness who present with different physical needs and behavioural and emotional responses (extravert or introvert) in accordance with their cognitive, language and psychosocial growth and development. Similarly, paediatric nurses must provide information and aim to meet the emotional needs of the primary caregivers who can be more vulnerable in the presence of their ill and crying child (Wang & Barnard, , ; Wang, Chen, & Chen, ; Wang, Lin, Lee, & Lee, ). Witnessing and performing repeated painful and difficult procedures and treatments for children who have a critical illness, while concurrently dealing with the emotional burdens of these families have been described as the triggers for compassion fatigue among paediatric nurses (Maytum, Heiman, & Garwick, ; Meadors & Lamson, ; Robins et al., ).…”

Stress and uncertainty in parents of children with tracheobronchial malacia and stenosis

“…They may report feelings of alienation and uncertainty in relation to use of hospital systems and care (Caicedo, ; Simeone et al ., ), and a recent survey reported that the stress levels of primary caregivers with oxygen‐dependent children is high. Predictors of stress include a child's young age, longer hours of daily oxygen therapy and poorer overall health status of the caregiver(s) (Wang et al ., ). Studies examining the experience of parents of children having procedures such as inguinal hernia repair (Wang et al ., ), gastrostomy for feeding difficulties (Pemberton et al ., ) and congenital heart surgery (Simeone et al ., ; Wei et al ., ; Woolf‐King et al ., ) show that parents report emotional problems, including anxiety and depression.…”