Stress and coping styles in guangzhou families with hepatitis B virus children

This study was conducted in Guangzhou, China. The study compared the stress coping styles of three groups of parents: (1) parents of children who are carriers of the hepatitis B virus (HBV) who attend a special health kindergarten; (2) parents of children with HBV who stay at home; and (3) parents of healthy children attending ordinary kindergarten. Parents of HBV children who stayed at home reported greater problems due to stress. The groups did not differ in reports of stress arising from life events other than their child's illness and the fact that their HBV-carrying children were prohibited from the kindergarten. Content analyses of the mothers' reported styles revealed five patterns of coping styles, which are explained with reference to the Chinese cultural context.