The Psychological Adaptation Process in Chinese Parent Caregivers of Pediatric Leukemia Patients

Abstract

BackgroundPsychological stresses caused by caring for pediatric leukemia patients can affect their parent caregivers’ health. How these stressors are successfully managed determines how well these caregivers adapt to the illness situation over time. Previous studies suggest that caregivers will adapt gradually to the adverse consequences of caring for their child with a long-term illness. However, studies of the psychological adaptation process of family caregivers of children with leukemia are limited.ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to study the psychological adaptation process of the parent caregivers of pediatric leukemia patients.MethodsIn this qualitative study, we interviewed 32 caregivers of children with leukemia in China. Data were collected through semistructured interviews and analyzed using the content analysis method.ResultsThe psychological adaptation process in caregivers of pediatric leukemia patients seems to involve 5 stages: initial devastation, accumulation of hope, fluctuation in feelings, integration, and psychological adaptation. Significant emotional changes were observed at each stage.ConclusionsThis study identified commonalities in the psychological adaptation process experienced by caregivers of children with leukemia in the Chinese social and cultural context. It also characterized the different emotions that the caregivers had in the 5 stages of adaptation. In addition, our research identified the possible psychological interventions at different stages.Implications for PracticeThe study described the adaptation process of Chinese parents of children with leukemia. The findings of this study will help nurses identify main coping resources, controllable intervention factors, and the timing of intervention for these caregivers of children with leukemia.

Discrepancies in perceived family resilience between adolescents with chronic illness and parents: using response surface analysis to examine the relationship with adolescents’ psychological adjustment

“…The Chinese version of the Psychological Adjustment Scale [ 46 ] was employed to measure the psychological adjustment of adolescents with chronic illnesses. This is a 20-item scale composed of four subscales: coping skills (four items), self-improvement (six items), socialization (five items), and psychological development (five items).…”

“…Higher scores indicate better psychological adaptation. The original study reported an acceptable internal consistency (Cronbach’s a = 0.90) and construct validity (a cumulative contribution of the four factors of 55.99%) [ 46 ]. In this study, the Cronbach’s alpha of the total scale was 0.95.…”