The Arabic version of the Parental Stressor Scale: psychometric properties and Jordanian parents’ stress during child admission to PICU

Abstract

This paper presents an exploration of the validity and reliability of the translated Arabic version of the original English version of the Parental Stressor Scale: Paediatric Intensive Care Unit (PSS: PICU) with a sample of Jordanian parents of children admitted to a paediatric intensive care unit. Three hundred and fifty parents were recruited to the study. The PSS: PICU was completed by parents within 15 minutes. Data were collected from parents ( N = 350) from different governmental, private and educational hospitals in Amman, Jordan. Subscales measuring stress from Child’s Appearance, Procedures, Sights and Sounds, Staff Communication, Staff Behavior, Parental Role, and Child’s Behavior and Emotions showed a range of responses and showed good internal consistency. Parents in this study perceived stress from various sources during their child’s hospitalisation. The dimensions ranked most stressful in the PICU were procedures (mean = 3.8, standard deviation, SD = 1.11), the child’s behaviors and emotions (mean = 3.72, SD = 1.04) and child’s appearance (mean = 3.71, SD = 0.75). The least listed stressful items were behaviors of professional staff in the unit (mean = 2.19, SD = 0.73), and staff communication in the unit (mean = 2.25, SD = 0.81). The reported elevated levels of parental stress underscores the importance of ongoing screening for factors impacting on psychological well-being and the inclusion of this information in education and counseling strategies in the inpatient settings. Consideration of areas of parent education regarding stressful ICU environment, and children’s behavioral and emotional reaction to hospitalisation could help reduce stress for Jordanian parents.