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Assessing the Coherence of Parents' Short Narratives Regarding their Child Using the Five-Minute Speech Sample Procedure
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Published on: September 19, 2019

The relationship between parental attachment and coping skills in hospitalized children

Ayfer Ekim1, Gamze Aksu Baysal2, Aslıhan Altun Inan3

  • 1Faculty of Health Sciences, Department of Pediatric Nursing, Kırklareli University, Kırklareli, Turkey.

Journal of Pediatric Nursing
|June 8, 2026
PubMed

Insights

Secure parent-child attachment enhances coping skills in hospitalized children, particularly problem-solving and help-seeking strategies. This highlights the importance of the attachment relationship for children

Area of Science:

  • Child Psychology
  • Attachment Theory
  • Pediatric Health

Background:

  • Hospitalization significantly impacts children's psychological adjustment.
  • Parent-child attachment is a critical factor in children's emotional regulation and coping.
  • Understanding this relationship is vital for supporting hospitalized children.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the influence of the parent-child attachment relationship on the coping skills of hospitalized children.
  • To determine if secure attachment predicts better coping mechanisms in pediatric patients.

Main Methods:

  • A cross-sectional study involving 318 hospitalized children aged 9-12 years.
  • Data collected using the Coping Scale for Children and Youth (CSCY) and Kerns' Security Scale (SS).
  • Study adhered to STROBE and Child-Centred Research Checklist (CCRC) guidelines.

Main Results:

  • Secure attachment significantly predicted coping skills, explaining 19.6% of the variance (Adjusted R² = 0.196, p < .001).
  • Positive correlations found between secure attachment and problem-solving/help-seeking coping.
  • Negative correlations observed between secure attachment and cognitive/behavioral avoidance coping strategies.

Conclusions:

  • Parent-child attachment significantly affects the coping styles of hospitalized children.
  • Findings underscore the importance of the attachment relationship in developing children's coping skills during hospitalization.
  • Interventions should consider parental attachment to enhance children's ability to manage hospitalization stress.
Abstract

Keywords:
ChildCopingCross-sectionalHospitalizationParental attachment

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