Family functioning following pediatric intensive care unit hospitalization

The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to compare two groups of families on measures of current family functioning and to explore factors related to current family functioning. Surveys were mailed to parents from families (n = 27) whose child aged 1 to 5 years had been hospitalized in a pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) and parents from families (n = 25) whose child aged 1 to 5 years had been hospitalized on a general care unit (GCU) in a large Midwestern children's hospital within 3 years of their child's discharge. Time since discharge ranged from 16 to 158 weeks (M = 84.9, SD = 36.0). The Cohesion and Adaptability subscales of the FACES III and the Feetham Family Functioning Survey (FFFS) were used to measure family functioning, and the Pediatric Risk of Mortality Scale (PRISM) was used to measure child acuity during hospitalization. Family functioning scores were not significantly different for PICU and GCU families. PRISM scores were negatively related to family adaptability for mothers and to family cohesion for fathers. Length of hospital stay was negatively related to fathers' adaptability ratings. Length of stay and PRISM scores were significant predictors of fathers' cohesion ratings; PRISM and location (PICU vs. GCU) were significant predictors of mothers' adaptability ratings. The findings suggest that it is not a PICU admission alone that has negative effects on the family; rather, the additive effects of how sick the child is on admission, where the child is hospitalized, and how long the child stays in the hospital may have negative consequences for the family.