Attachment and relocation stress in families of patients transferred from ICU: mediating effects of experiential avoidance

Abstract

Objective To explore the relationship between attachment, experiential avoidance and relocation stress in families of patients transferred from the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) . Methods Totally 272 families of patients transferred from the ICU of the First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University were selected by convenient sampling between May and September 2017. Their attachment, relocation stress and experiential avoidance were investigated with the Experiences in Close Relationships Questionnaire-Revised, Relocation Stress Scale for the Families of Patients Transferred From ICU and Acceptance and Action Questionnaire-2nd Edition. Amos 17.0 was used to test the mediating effects. Results Totally 272 questionnaires were distributed, and 256 valid questionnaires were collected, with a valid collection rate of 94.1%. The total relocation stress score was (59.84±7.53) ; the attachment anxiety score was (3.51±0.92) ; the attachment avoidance score was (3.12±0.87) ; and the experiential avoidance score was (16.61±6.24) . There was a correlation between relocation stress, attachment avoidance and experiential avoidance (P<0.05) . Experiential avoidance had mediating effect between attachment avoidance and relocation stress, and the mediating accounted for 41.4% of the total effect. Conclusions Medical workers shall pay attention to the psychological health of the families of patients transferred from ICU, encourage them to pour out their real feelings, help them take positive countermeasures, improve their physical and mental health, and provide sound social support for the patients. Key words: Intensive Care Units; Families; Relocation stress; Attachment; Experiential avoidance