Parental Uncertainty and Posttraumatic Stress in Serious Childhood Illness

Santacroce, Sheila Judge

doi:10.1111/j.1547-5069.2003.00045.x

Cited by 81 publications

(77 citation statements)

References 39 publications

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“…Additionally, we could not examine the effects of parents' uncertainties on the parents themselves or parents' surroundings including their ill child. Parents of a child with a severe illness are likely to complain of post-traumatic stress syndrome [30]. The negative psychological stress including parents' anxiety or uncertainty could transfer to the ill child and potentially hinder the child's recovery [31] [32].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Development of a Scale to Screen Parents with Uncertainty Regarding Their Child with Acute Illness

Ueki¹,

Komai²,

Ohashi³

2017

OJN

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Parents experience uncertainty when their children become sick. The study aimed to develop a Parents' Uncertainty regarding their Child with Acute Illness Scale (PUCAS) and to clarify differences in PUCAS scores between groups that were divided according to participants' demographic characteristics. PUCAS was developed based on interviews, literature review, and a pilot study. We obtained valid responses from 235 parents with children hospitalized due to an acute childhood illness. Exploratory factor analysis narrowed the number of items to 25, divided into the following 5 subscales: unpredictability of the course of the illness, ambiguity about the severity of the illness, ambiguous appropriateness of management, discrepancy of judgement with health care professionals, and lack of information about the causes of the illness. There was satisfactory construct validity and criterion-related validity. Cronbach's alpha was 0.92 for the overall scale. Participants who used ambulances, those who were not given any reliable diagnosis for their children, and fathers scored significantly higher on the PUCAS. PUCAS has high validity and reliability in measuring uncertainty of parents who have children with acute childhood illness and could be a useful screening tool for parents with high uncertainty in a clinical setting.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Development of a Scale to Screen Parents with Uncertainty Regarding Their Child with Acute Illness

Ueki¹,

Komai²,

Ohashi³

2017

OJN

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“…Child and the family may remain in one of these phases or they may go back to the previous phase. The reaction given by each family to live a chronic diseased child and the intensity of this reaction may vary (Santacroce, 2003, Er, 2006. The extent to which the illness influences the child and family varies according to factors such as the age of the child, the child's adaptation level and ability, interaction between child-mother-father, family balance, seriousness of the illness, pain, medication, and limitations and length of the illness.…”

Section: Childhood Chronic Disease and Familymentioning

confidence: 99%

Childhood Age Epilepsy and Family

Hocaoğlu¹,

Köroğlu²

2011

Epilepsy in Children - Clinical and Social Aspects

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“…[16,17] Some others have considered PTSD in parents in relation with their children's bone marrow transplantation: it was assessed that uncertainty levels and PTSD are directly connected. [17][18][19] It is in this scenario of uncertainty that the nurse operates. Nurses have most frequent contact with patients and their family, they are in the best position to reduce uncertainty by providing information, improving the patients' perception of health and preserving hope, as well as being aware of the need to view the patients' health status in a positive manner.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Uncertainty in pediatric bone marrow transplantation: A qualitative analysis about parents’ perspective

Bernardi¹,

Ceron

2015

JNEP

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Background: The uncertainty is innate in parents of children under bone marrow trasplantation. The parents' view of uncertainty during their children's bone marrow transplantation (TCSE) hasn't yet been explored. There is evidence that uncertainty experienced as a reaction to disease is linked to a lower quality of life. The purpose of this study was to explore the parents' experience of uncertainty during their children's TCSE. Methods: This study applied qualitative approach using phenomenology method. To perform this qualitative study, semistructured interviews were performed. Basing on this analysis, we will evaluate if Mishel's Uncertainty in Illness Theory can explain this experience and specify the connection between uncertainty experienced by family and nursing care during TCSE. A convenience sample of 26 parents were recruited from TCSE unit in Padua Hospital. Each interview was audio recorded, transcribed, and coded for major theme using a content analysis approach. The extracted interviews were analyzed through Colaizzi method. Interview topics were: uncertainty aspects during bone marrow transplantation, means of uncertainty, life aspects influenced by uncertainty, how dealt with uncertainty. Results: From the analysis of the interviews four macro categories were defined: multiple uncertainty's meanings, multiple side of uncertainty, uncertainty side effects, management of uncertainty. The parents will live the consequences of such uncertainty for all their life and they will never find a boundary which lay the end. The bone marrow transplantation doesn't remove uncertainty, but it causes uncertainty. Parents report need for contact with expert nurses to discuss the meaning of their uncertainty, in order to reduce it. Conclusions: The parents' experience of uncertainty can be described following Mishel's Uncertainty in Illness Theory. The lives of the parents are dominated by uncertainty. Nurses need to be educated to be able to encourage parents to communicate their existential questions and the impact of the illness on their life. Enhanced awareness and increased understanding about parents' uncertainty can be important factors in improving nursing work environment and the quality of care presented to pediatric patients and their family.

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Parental Uncertainty and Posttraumatic Stress in Serious Childhood Illness

Abstract: The literature indicates support for the theoretical link between parental uncertainty and posttraumatic stress. This linkage provides direction for the design and evaluation of nursing interventions to support parents of children with serious childhood illness.

Cited by 81 publications

References 39 publications

Development of a Scale to Screen Parents with Uncertainty Regarding Their Child with Acute Illness

Development of a Scale to Screen Parents with Uncertainty Regarding Their Child with Acute Illness

Childhood Age Epilepsy and Family

Uncertainty in pediatric bone marrow transplantation: A qualitative analysis about parents’ perspective

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