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Published on: August 25, 2014
Long-term effects of pediatric intensive care unit hospitalization on families with young children
Rhonda Board1, Nancy Ryan-Wenger
1Northeastern University School of Nursing, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
Insights
Parents experience ongoing stress and family dysfunction for up to six months after a child
Area of Science:
- Pediatric critical care medicine
- Family psychology
- Parental adaptation
Background:
- The pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) experience can profoundly impact families.
- Long-term effects on parental well-being and family functioning require further investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To prospectively examine the long-term effects of the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) experience on parents.
- To assess the impact on overall family adaptation following a child's hospitalization.
Main Methods:
- Prospective, three-group comparison study design.
- Involved parents of children aged 5 years or younger in a tertiary pediatric medical center.
- Measured parental stress, stress symptoms, family functioning, and life events.
Main Results:
- Mothers reported higher stress symptoms and perceived family dysfunction post-discharge compared to normative samples.
- Stress symptoms and family functioning showed minimal directional change over time for mothers.
- Mothers in all groups experienced more stress symptoms than a normative sample.
Conclusions:
- Parents continue to exhibit stress-related symptoms and difficulties with family functioning up to six months post-child's illness.
- The PICU experience may have lasting effects on parental mental health and family dynamics.
Objective:
The purpose of this study was to prospectively examine the long-term effects of the pediatric intensive care unit experience on parents and on family adaptation.
Design:
A three-group prospective, comparison, convenience sample was used in this study.
Setting:
The study took place in a midwestern university-affiliated tertiary pediatric medical center.
Subjects:
Three groups of parents (parents with children in the pediatric intensive care unit, parents with children in a general care unit, and parents with nonhospitalized ill children) were studied. The children were ages 5 years or younger.
Outcome Measures:
Indicators of family adaptation included parental stress, stress symptoms, family functioning, and life events.
Results:
The mothers' stress symptoms in all groups were more prevalent than a normative sample, and they perceived their families as dysfunctional after discharge from the hospital. Slope analysis was used to examine the patterns of stress symptoms and family functioning and indicated little directional change over time for the mothers.
Conclusion:
Despite the smaller than expected sample sizes over time, results suggest that parents are still having stress-related symptoms and difficulties with family functioning as long as 6 months after a child's illness event.
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