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Parental stress in the relationship with children affected by chronic hematologic disease

Alessia Ribilotta1, Marina Sergio1, Dorella Scarponi2

  • 1Unit of Pediatric Oncology and Hematology, Department of Woman and Child Health and Urological Diseases, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy.

Minerva Pediatrics
|November 11, 2020
PubMed

Insights

Parents of children with sickle cell disease (SCD) experience higher stress levels than those with autoimmune thrombocytopenic purpura (AITP). Social issues in children with SCD correlated with increased parental distress and child depression.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Hematology
  • Child Psychology
  • Parental Mental Health

Background:

  • Sickle cell disease (SCD) and autoimmune thrombocytopenic purpura (AITP) are pediatric conditions.
  • These diseases often lead to cognitive, social, and emotional challenges for children.
  • Caregivers may experience significant consequences due to these pediatric diseases.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate parental psychological distress in caregivers of children with SCD and AITP.
  • To explore the interference of parental distress with children's suffering.
  • To identify correlations between parental stress, cognitive function, and mood in pediatric patients.

Main Methods:

  • Recruited 39 parents of 44 pediatric patients, divided into SCD and AITP groups.
  • Administered the Parenting Stress Index Short-form (PSI-SF) to parents.
  • Correlated PSI-SF variables with cognitive test scores, patient age, and mood test results.

Main Results:

  • Parents of children with SCD reported higher stress levels compared to parents of children with AITP.
  • Cognitive testing revealed 72% of patients scored average, while 28% scored below average.
  • Mood assessments indicated 35% of patients had elevated depression scores and 21% had elevated anxiety scores.

Conclusions:

  • Parental distress patterns differ based on the child's chronic hematological disease.
  • Increased parental distress was linked to social problems and correlated with depression symptoms in children.
  • Findings offer insights into parent-child behavioral dynamics in chronic pediatric hematological conditions.
Abstract

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