Psychosocial, Demographic, and Illness‐Related Factors Associated With Acute Traumatic Stress Responses in Parents of Children With a Serious Illness or Injury

Abstract

This study investigated factors associated with acute stress symptoms in parents of seriously ill children across a range of illnesses and treatment settings within a pediatric hospital setting. It was hypothesized that psychosocial variables would be more strongly associated with acute stress responses than demographic and child illness variables. Participants were 115 mothers and 56 fathers of children treated within the oncology, cardiology, and intensive care departments of a pediatric hospital. Acute stress, psychosocial, demographic, and medical data were collected within the first 4 weeks of the child's hospital admission. A robust hierarchical regression model revealed that psychosocial factors significantly explained 36.8% of the variance in parent acute stress responses (p < .001); demographic variables significantly added a further 4.5% (p = .022), but illness-related factors did not contribute to the model. Findings support the implementation of a general psychosocial screening approach for parents across the wider hospital system, and that psychosocial risk factors may be targeted in interventions across different illnesses and treatment settings to improve parent outcomes.

Gender‐specific differences in parental health‐related quality of life in childhood cancer

“…In our study, distress and other psychosocial variables accounted for the largest part of variance on almost all domains, which might explain some of the differences in HRQoL between mothers and fathers. The finding that psychosocial determinants are best predictors of adverse outcomes is comparable to HRQoL findings in parents of children with metabolic diseases and to acute traumatic stress responses in parents of acutely ill, hospitalized children . An important finding in our study is the association of insufficient social support with adverse HRQoL outcomes, especially for fathers.…”

“…[2][3][4]6,37 In our study, acutely ill, hospitalized children. 39 An important finding in our study is the association of insufficient social support with adverse HRQoL outcomes, especially for fathers. About 20% of the mothers and 10% of the fathers mentioned this lack of support, which warrants further research.…”

Supporting Parent Caregivers of Children with Life-Limiting Illness

“…Parents report that witnessing physical distress and pain in their children is extremely troubling. Parental well-being is closely tied to the needs and suffering of the ill child [ 52 ]. Managing pain and physical distress in the child is the most direct way to meet immediate needs for the child and for their parent.…”

Co-designed PICU Family Stress Screening and Response System to Improve Experience, Quality, and Safety

“…4,11,14–18 Implementing a universal screening tool that identifies parents with high levels of distress and psychosocial risk during the acute period of illness or injury provides a unique opportunity for early intervention and timely linkage to psychosocial resources and ongoing support. 19 Evidence for successful and sustainable models that systematically identify and address parental distress during pediatric intensive care remains scarce and of critical need. 20…”