Family functioning and hope in children with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis

To examine the relationships among family functioning, hope, and quality of life in children with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (JRA).

Sixty-eight children (8 to 12 years of age) with a diagnosis of JRA and one of their parents/guardians participated in this descriptive correlational study. Parents completed the Feetham Family Functioning Survey (FFFS), the Parent Report for Children Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL), and the Parent Report for Children PedsQL Rheumatology Module. The children completed the Children's Hope Scale (CHS), the Child Report for PedsQL, and the Child Report PedsQL Rheumatology Module. Data were analyzed using chi-square, t-tests, and correlation analyses.

Family functioning and children's hope showed a negative correlation, indicating that a child's hope was lower when the parent reported greater dissatisfaction with family functioning. Hope was not related to parent or child ratings of the child's quality of life.

In caring for children with JRA, nurses can assess the family's satisfaction with relationships to the broader community, subsystems, and individual members and seek ways to promote healthy family functioning. Nurses also can assess the level of hope in children with JRA and facilitate the development of hopefulness by helping children establish goals and develop strategies to meet them.