Effect of Nursing Intervention on Stressors and Coping Patterns of Children Suffering from Cancer and their Mothers

Abstract

Background: Children suffering from cancer and their mother are facing many stressors resulting from cancer and its treatment, these stressors are physical, psychological, social and financial. Nurses play a vital role in caring and educating those children and their mothers to improve their knowledge, alleviate their stressors and promote their positive coping patterns toward cancer and its treatment. Aim: The aim of the study was to study the effect of nursing intervention on stressors and coping patterns of children suffering from cancer and their mothers. Subject and methods: Design: A quasi-experimental design. Sample: A purposeful study subject of 150 children suffering from cancer and their accompanying mothers, which divided randomly into two equal matched groups' the study and control groups. Setting: The study was conducted at inpatient Pediatrics Medical Departments and Outpatient Oncology Clinics of Children's Hospital affiliated to Ain Shams University Hospitals over 6 months. Tools for data collection: The study involved a pre designed interviewing questionnaire to assess characteristics and knowledge of cancer children and their mothers, Stressors' Scale by Miles and Brunsser, 1998 to assess stressors of the studied subjects and Coping Patterns Scale by Jalowiec and Powers, 1991 to assess their coping patterns in two phases (pre, post) for both groups. Results: of the study revealed that, nursing intervention had a positive impact on the studied subjects' knowledge, decreased levels of stressors and promoted positive coping patterns toward stressors related to cancer. Conclusion: Children suffering from cancer and their mother are facing many stressors resulting from cancer and its long lasting consequences and prolonged continuous treatment. These stressors include all aspects of life as physical, psychological, social and financial that increases the burden imposed on the affected children and their mothers. Based on results of the current study, it was concluded that, nursing intervention had a positive impact on the studied subjects' knowledge regarding cancer, stressors and coping, lowered the studied subjects' levels of stressors and promoted their positive coping patterns toward stressors related to cancer. Recommendations: The study recommended that, health education programs must be prepared, regularly presented and directed toward children suffering from cancer and their accompanying mothers to teach and help them manage and cope with cancer treatment and its related side effects and stressors..