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The Response to Stress Questionnaire for Parents Following Neonatal Brain Injury
Kyla P McDonald1,2, Jennifer Connolly2, Samantha D Roberts1,2
1Division of Neurology, Department of Psychology, The Hospital for Sick Children.
Insights
Parents of children with neonatal brain injury experience significant stress from brain injury stressors. Acceptance-based coping strategies are associated with lower parent depression and anxiety, informing future interventions.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Psychology
- Pediatrics
Background:
- Neonatal brain injury presents unique challenges for families.
- Parental stress and coping are critical factors in child health outcomes.
- Existing measures may not fully capture the specific stressors faced by these parents.
Purpose of the Study:
- To adapt the Response to Stress Questionnaire-Brain Injury (RSQ-BI) for parents of children with neonatal brain injury.
- To explore parental stress, coping mechanisms, and mental health outcomes.
- To investigate the influence of social risk, child adaptive functioning, and injury severity.
Main Methods:
- Mixed-method design incorporating semistructured interviews with parents and clinicians.
- Pilot study of the adapted RSQ-BI with 77 parents.
- Utilized established questionnaires for social risk, child functioning, injury severity, coping, and parent mental health.
Main Results:
- The final RSQ-BI identified 15 stressors across two factors: daily role and brain injury stressors.
- Parents reported brain injury stressors as more stressful than daily role stressors.
- Acceptance-based coping was linked to lower parent depression and anxiety symptoms.
Conclusions:
- The adapted RSQ-BI is a valuable tool for understanding parental stress and coping in neonatal brain injury.
- Findings highlight the importance of acceptance-based coping strategies.
- Suggests avenues for future interventions and research to support affected families.
Objective:
The Response to Stress Questionnaire-Brain Injury (RSQ-BI) was adapted utilizing a patient-oriented approach, exploring parental stress, coping, and associated mental health outcomes in parents of children with neonatal brain injury. The contributions of social risk, child adaptive functioning, and brain injury severity were also explored.
Methods:
Using a mixed-method design, this study explored adapted stressor items on the RSQ-BI. Parents and clinicians engaged in semistructured interviews to examine key stressors specific to being a parent of a child with neonatal brain injury. The adapted RSQ-BI was piloted in a parent sample (N = 77, child mean age 1 year 7 months) with established questionnaires of social risk, child adaptive functioning, severity of the child's injury, coping style, and parent mental health. Descriptive statistics and correlations examined parent stress, coping, and their association with parent mental health.
Results:
The final RSQ-BI questionnaire included 15 stressors. Factor analysis showed stressors loaded onto two factors related to (a) daily role stressors and (b) brain injury stressors. Using the RSQ-BI, parents reported brain injury stressors as more stressful than daily role stressors. When faced with these stressors, parents were most likely to engage in acceptance-based coping strategies and demonstrated lower symptoms of parent depression and anxiety.
Conclusions:
The RSQ-BI provides a valuable adaptation to understand both stressors and coping specific to being a parent of a child with neonatal brain injury. Relevant interventions that promote similar coping techniques are discussed for future care and research.
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