Stress and Coping Styles among Parents of Children undergoing Heart Surgery

Abstract

Aim: this study aimed to assess stress and coping styles among parents of children undergoing heart surgery. A descriptive study was used. Sample: A convenient sample of 132 parents. Setting: This study was conducted at pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) and in-patient pediatric ward to open heart surgery at El-Demerdash hospital that affiliated to Ain Shams University. Tools of data collection: 1) General characteristics questionnaire containing the following parts: A) Socio-demographic characteristics and clinical data of child, B) Sociodemographic characteristics of parents; 2) Parent Stress Scale; and 3) Jalowiec Coping Scale (JCS). Results of the study: revealed that, the majority of the studied parents of children with heart surgery experienced moderate level of stress and two thirds of them had ineffective coping. Conclusion:The majority of the studied parents of children with heart surgery experienced moderate level of stress and two thirds of them had ineffective coping .also; this study concluded that there was a negative correlation between stress level and coping behaviors among the studied parents of children undergoing heart surgery.Recommendation: Applying educational interventional program for enhancement of stress and coping styles of parents of children with heart surgery.