[Effectiveness of educational interventions in children with chronic diseases and their parents]

To evaluate the effectiveness of educational interventions in children with chronic illness and their parents.

Fifty children with chronic illness and 75 parents participated in the study. Children who were hospitalized between August 2007 and January 2008 and their parents received educational sessions and those who were hospitalized between February and July 2007 and who did not receive the sessions served as the control group. The content of the educational sessions included knowledge of chronic disease, drugs and self-care, and coping skills. The knowledge level, stressors, coping strategies, and psychological conditions of children with chronic illness and their parents were evaluated before discharge and three months after discharge.

After educational interventions, the knowledge levels of children and their parents increased and the stressors decreased significantly in the intervention group compared with those in the control group. The children's parents in the intervention group used more active coping strategies (understanding the medical situations through communication with medical staff) than those in the control group. The differences in the medication compliance of children between the two groups were not found.

The educational interventions may result in an improved knowledge level and decrease stressors in children and their parents, and improve stress coping strategies in parents. There is no evidence that the educational intervention can improve the psychosocial conditions of children and their parents.