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[Maternal anxiety, family dysfunction, morbidity and attendance at pediatric consultations]
F J Soriano Faura1, C Lázaro Armengol, A Roig Orts
1Centro de Salud Virgen de la Fuensanta, Valencia.
Insights
Pediatric office use is linked to younger children and higher illness rates, not family issues or maternal anxiety. Understanding these factors helps address increased healthcare needs in young, sick children.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric healthcare utilization
- Family medicine
- Child health outcomes
Background:
- Understanding factors influencing pediatric office visits is crucial for resource allocation.
- Previous research has explored links between family dynamics, maternal mental health, and child healthcare use.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between pediatric office utilization and family dysfunction, maternal anxiety, and children's morbidity.
- To identify predictors of high healthcare utilization in pediatric patients.
Main Methods:
- An observational prospective study was conducted over one year at EAP Virgen de la Fuensanta.
- 649 children aged 0-12 years (excluding chronic conditions) were analyzed.
- Data collected included consultations, diagnoses (WONCA), socioeconomic factors, family APGAR, and maternal anxiety (STAI), analyzed using Chi-squared, regression models.
Main Results:
- Higher pediatric office attendance was significantly associated with younger child age and increased morbidity.
- No significant associations were found between high attendance and family dysfunction, maternal anxiety (state or trait), or socioeconomic variables.
Conclusions:
- High pediatric consulting rates may be justified for younger children with higher morbidity, indicating greater underlying health challenges.
- Further investigation into the specific needs of high-utilizing pediatric populations is warranted.
Objective:
To know the use of the pediatric offices and their connection with the family dysfunction, the maternal anxiety and children's morbidity.
Design:
Observational prospective study the children that attended during a period, of one year.
Setting:
EAP Virgen de la Fuensanta.
Patients:
Children aged 0-12 years old, since 1st. October 1994 to 31st. September 1995, 649 children, except children that suffered chronic disease.
Measures:
Consultation and its diagnoses were registered in the health history, according WONCA classification, completing socioeconomical questionnaire, family APGAR test, and anxiety scale stai/trait (STAI). Groups were compared according attendees, consulting/year average plus one standard deviation, or no attendees. We used statistics techniques squared-Chi, simple regression and logistic regression.
Results:
To be attendee was significantly associated with minor age of child and morbidity. Significant differences were not found with family dysfunction, neither with maternal anxiety state or trait, nor with socioeconomical variables.
Conclusions:
The high use of pediatric consulting may be not, seeing that hyperusers in account of their age and morbidity have bigger hardships.