Investigating the mental health and coping strategies of parents with major thalassemic children in Bandar Abbas

Abstract

Introduction:Major thalassemia is a hereditary, chronic blood disease caused by the synthesis deficiency of one or more polypeptide chains of globin during childhood. This leads to the rise of blood pressure and family tensions. Therefore, the coping strategies of the family could seriously affect and facilitate the thalassemic child's healthy growth. The present research sought to investigate the mental health and coping strategies of families with major thalassemic children in Bandar Abbas in 2013.Materials and Methods:This study is of a descriptive-analytical and cross-sectional type. Research population consisted of 140 parents of major thalassemic children who visited Shahid Mohammadi Hospital of Bandar Abbas. The instruments used were the 12-item General Health Questionnaire of Goldberg and Williams along with the coping strategies questionnaire. Nonprobabilistic, convenient sampling method was used. To analyze the data, Spearman's correlation coefficient, Chi-square and descriptive statistical tests were used. The significance level was set at P < 0.05.Results:Data analysis showed that parents’ mental health (32 ± 4.25) along with their coping strategy scores (45 ± 7.50) was about the average. The most prevalent coping strategies among the parents were represented as: “I trust in God in order to get my problems solved” (87%), “to get mentally and spiritually relieved, I would visit mosques and holy shrines” (53%), and “to overcome problems, I make harder attempts” (50.7%). A significant correlation was found between the parents’ coping strategies and general health (P < 0.001). A significant correlation was also observed between mother's educational level (P = 0.044), age (P = 0.022) and general health.Discussion and Conclusion:According to the results of this research, it is categorical for the ministry of health and medical education and those in charge to pay special and adequate attention to the social, spiritual, and mental health of these children and their families.

Concerns of Thalassemia Patients, Carriers, and their Caregivers in Malaysia: Text Mining Information Shared on Social Media

“…Topic 3, a new finding, encompasses thalassemia patients’ concerns about diet and dietary supplements since they cannot consume foods that are high in iron. Topic 4 covers religious faith as it relates to coping with thalassemia and praying to God for strength to continue living, which was also reported by previous studies [ 5 , 21 , 22 ]. Topic 5—another new finding—shows that Facebook has become a valuable platform to ask questions and solicit opinions of those affected by thalassemia.…”

“…Topic 6 covered patients’ and caretakers’ concerns about blood donation, either via posts asking for blood donation or expressing concern about blood insufficiency. Another study also found that patients raised the issue of possible blood shortage [ 21 ].…”

The effect of a virtual child disease management programme on burden and social adjustment of caregivers of children with coagulation factor deficiencies

“…The most common coping strategies used by parents were reported as spirituality 26 Therefore, using this intervention improved the caregivers' education, spirituality and social interactions and consequently increased their social adjustment.…”

The Effects of Cup Feeding and Finger Feeding Techniques on Weight Gain in Preterm Infants Admitted to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit

“…Weight is one of the main indicators of physical growth and brain development in infants, especially premature infants (1). Prematurity and low birth weight are among the most common causes of infant mortality (2,3), leading to short-and long-term childhood complications, such as developmental defects (4). One of the ways to reduce these complications is effective nutritional support (4,5), especially for infants with breastfeeding problems (6).…”