Psychological responses and coping behaviour of visiting family members during and following unplanned hospital admission

Abstract

Aims:To describe the psychological symptoms and coping behaviours of visiting family members following the unplanned hospitalisation of their relative.Background: Hospitalisation of a patient is recognised as a stressful time for visiting family members, who experience psychological morbidity and elevated health risk.Design: This prospective longitudinal evaluation included 40 family members of patients with unplanned admission to coronary or intensive care. Assessments were conducted at 3 timepoints: in-hospital within 1 week of admission and again at 2 weeks and 3 months post-discharge. Measures included symptoms of anxiety, depression, and anger, coping strategies and social support. This paper adhered to STROBE guidelines.Results: At the initial in-hospital assessment study participants reported higher anxiety, depression and anger symptoms levels compared to community matched control participants. Compared to in-hospital assessment, anxiety and depression levels were lower at 2 weeks and 3 months following hospital discharge. The use of active coping and the use of religion during early hospitalisation were associated with higher anxiety and depression symptoms at 3 months post-discharge. Conversely, use of instrumental support (getting help and advice from others), planning and venting during early hospitalisation were associated with lower depression symptoms at 3 months.Venting during the hospitalisation period was also associated with lower anxiety symptoms at 3 months. Conclusion:Results demonstrate the significant psychological impact of unplanned hospitalisation on visiting family members both during and following hospitalisation.The finding that prolonged psychological response is associated with individual coping strategies employed in the early hospitalised period informs potential preventative approaches for family members at risk of prolonged psychological morbidity following hospitalisation of their loved one. Relevance to clinical practice:The reported psychological impact of hospitalisation on family members provides a strong imperative for nurses and health professionals to provide early individualised support to reduce the risk of long-term psychological morbidity.

The Pandemic Anxiety Inventory: A validation study

“…Second, regarding criterion validity, the PAI, as hypothesized, was related to fatigue, considerations for a major life change, and beliefs about how widespread the virus was in the respondent's locality. The PAI was related, in the expected direction, to social support, being female, financial strain, job insecurity, job loss, hospitalization and death of someone close, and other traumatic events (García-Fernández et al, 2021;Gonzalez-Saenz de Tejada et al, 2017;Khoury et al, 2021;Lahav, 2020;Masiero et al, 2020;Racine et al, 2021;Rückholdt et al, 2021;Rudenstine et al, 2021;Solomou and Constantinidou, 2020;Wang et al, 2021;Wittenborn et al, 2020).…”

“…We developed several hypotheses bearing on the validity of the PAI. Noting that social support is inversely related to anxiety in many facets of life (Asselmann et al, 2020; Gonzalez-Saenz de Tejada et al, 2017), including COVID-linked anxiety (Gonzalez-Saenz de Tejada et al, 2017; Khoury et al, 2021; Labrague and Santos, 2020; Rückholdt et al, 2021), we hypothesized that scores on the PAI would be inversely related to support. Other criterion-related hypotheses were also based on the anxiety literature.…”

Factors associated with the decision to offer memory making in end‐of‐life: A survey of healthcare professionals in adult intensive care

“…Healthcare professionals’ emotional responses for offering memory making such as pride or being afraid, as well as beliefs about their capabilities, will be subjected to situational background variables and previous experiences, events, and conversations for everyone involved (Lazarus, 2006). In the adult population, an unplanned ICU admission is reported to cause family members to experience heightened emotional vulnerability and psychological responses including anxiety, depression and anger symptoms (Ruckholdt et al, 2021; Wong et al, 2019). Additionally, as the patient's condition evolves, previous personal experiences will affect how individuals interact during the continuous actions and reactions between all healthcare professionals and the patient and family members (Lazarus, 2006).…”