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The cortisol response in parents staying with a sick child at hospital

Charlotte Angelhoff1,2, Ulla Edéll-Gustafsson3, Evalotte Mörelius1

  • 1Department of Social and Welfare Studies, Division of Nursing Sciences Linköping University Norrköping Sweden.

Nursing Open
|March 29, 2019
PubMed

Insights

Parental cortisol levels were lower in the hospital than at home, but higher than in a general adult population. This highlights the need for interventions to manage parental stress during pediatric hospital stays.

Area of Science:

  • Endocrinology
  • Psychoneuroimmunology
  • Pediatric Healthcare

Background:

  • Parental stress during a child's hospitalization is a significant concern.
  • Cortisol levels are a key biomarker for physiological stress.
  • Limited research exists on parental cortisol responses in pediatric settings.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate cortisol levels in parents with children in pediatric wards.
  • To compare parental cortisol levels between the hospital and home environments post-discharge.
  • To compare parental cortisol levels to a healthy adult reference population.

Main Methods:

  • Descriptive and prospective comparative study design.
  • Saliva samples collected from 31 parents in pediatric wards and 4 weeks later at home.
  • Analysis of morning awakening cortisol, postawakening cortisol, and cortisol awakening response (CAR).

Main Results:

  • Parents exhibited lower morning awakening cortisol in the pediatric ward compared to home.
  • No significant differences were found in postawakening cortisol or CAR.
  • Parental cortisol levels were lower than the reference adult population.
  • Child's age, diagnosis, or chronic conditions did not influence parental cortisol levels.

Conclusions:

  • Pediatric hospital stays significantly impact parental cortisol levels.
  • Parental stress requires greater attention and targeted interventions.
  • Addressing parental stress is crucial to prevent stress-related complications affecting child care.
Abstract

Keywords:
childfamily nursinghospitalizedpaediatric nursingparentstress

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