Parental coping and activities during pediatric critical care

Area of Science:

• Pediatric critical care
• Parental coping mechanisms
• Child psychology

Background:

• Hospitalization of a child in a pediatric critical care center presents unique stressors for parents.
• Understanding parental coping strategies is crucial for effective support.
• Parental locus of control, age, and anxiety levels may influence coping behaviors.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the relationship between parental locus of control, age, and state anxiety.
• To explore how these factors relate to parental coping strategies and activities during a child's critical care hospitalization.

Main Methods:

• Cross-sectional study design.
• Convenience sample of 47 parents with children in a pediatric critical care center.
• Assessment of parental coping strategies and involvement in child care activities.

Main Results:

• Parents with higher self-direction, older age, and lower anxiety utilized problem-focused coping more frequently.
• Problem-focused coping was associated with greater parental involvement in child care.
• Emotion-focused coping correlated with less participation in care activities.

Conclusions:

• Parental coping strategies are influenced by age, locus of control, and anxiety levels.
• Interventions should be tailored to individual parental characteristics to enhance coping and reduce stress.
• Further research is needed on the temporal changes in coping and the benefits of interventions promoting problem-focused approaches.