Evaluation and comparison of parental needs, stressors, and coping strategies in a pediatric intensive care unit

To evaluate and compare the needs, stressors, and coping strategies of mothers and fathers in a pediatric intensive care unit, and to advance the development of the COMPASS questionnaire for examining parent experiences.

Prospective cohort study using a modified version of a pilot questionnaire, incorporating a series of 58 questions based on a visual analog scale in three categories of needs, stressors, and coping strategies.

Tertiary pediatric intensive care unit, Southampton University Hospitals, Southampton, UK.

A total of 182 parents (91 mothers and 91 fathers) of children admitted to the pediatric intensive care unit.

Collection and analysis of needs, stressors, and coping strategies scores.

Both parents identified the need for honest, open, timely, and understandable information, with access to their child as paramount. Parents found feelings of uncertainty and helplessness to be particularly stressful. The main coping strategies employed by parents were related to trust, assurance, and believing in positive outcomes. The particular needs and stressors of mothers and fathers were found to be similar. There were, however, some statistically significant differences in stressors: mothers had higher stress scores regarding how their child looked, not being able to care for them, witnessing procedures, and on leaving their child as compared with fathers. There were no statistically significant differences in coping mechanisms between the sexes.

Acute parental experiences can be documented using the COMPASS questionnaire. This study highlights the principal needs, stressors, and coping strategies of parents of children in the pediatric intensive care unit. The experiences of mothers and fathers are similar, but we identify some differences in stressors between the sexes.