Coping Health Inventory For Parents Research Articles

Exploring Stress and Coping in Caregivers of Children with Pulmonary Vein Stenosis: A Mixed-Method Study.

(1) Background: This mixed-method study aims to identify and describe factors associated with acute and long-term parenting stressors and coping strategies in caregivers of children with intraluminal pulmonary vein stenosis (PVS). (2) Methods: Parents of children with severe PVS were recruited from a large quaternary hospital to complete a survey that included demographics, the Pediatric Inventory for Parents (PIP), and the Coping Health Inventory for Parents (CHIP). We determined the Social Vulnerability Index (SVI) based on self-reported home address. A subset of caregivers completed a 60 min semi-structured interview via Zoom exploring the impact their child's diagnosis had on their family; experience managing stress in the hospital and at home; current resources and processes for coping; and potential recommendations for hospitals to build resilience and coping. We used multivariable linear regression to examine the association between SVI and parental stress and coping while adjusting for possible confounders. Thematic analysis identified themes related to stress and coping. Finally, we assessed instances of convergence and difference between the qualitative and quantitative results. (3) Results: Participants included 32 caregivers who were 91% female with a mean age of 39 years. The children of participants were 66% female, with a mean age of five years. The parents reported a high amount of stress with an average PIP score of 120, nearly 46 points higher than similar studies in the congenital heart community. We observed no significant associations between SVI and either parental stress or coping in adjusted models. We identified 13 themes, including medical care, hospital, family, support systems, and home medical routine or support. (4) Conclusions: Our study found high levels of illness-related parental stress among caregivers of children with PVS. Stress evolved over time from what caregivers described as 'survival mode' to a future-oriented outlook. Currently, caregivers rely heavily on support networks that are not available to all caregivers or may experience strain over time. Caregivers indicated that communication and parental role functioning were coping strategies that could be better supported by providers and health systems.

Examining Acculturative Stress and Copings Among Korean Immigrant Parents of Children with Developmental Disabilities

ABSTRACT This study seeks to (a) examine the relationship among demographic variables of Korean immigrant parents of children with developmental disabilities (DDs), (b) predict which demographic characteristics impact acculturative stress, and (c) investigate the effect of coping strategies while controlling for those demographics. Korean immigrant parents of children with DDs who reside in the United States (n = 64) completed modified versions of the acculturative stress scale from the National Latino Asian American Study (NLAAS), and coping pattern scale from the Coping Health Inventory for Parents (CHIP). Measures were translated into Korean. The hierarchical multiple regression found that the country where the participants attained their highest level of education, coping patterns for maintaining social support, and psychological well-being on positive self-esteem were significant variables at predicting the level of acculturative stress. The recognition of cultural characteristics and cultural sensitivity to support Korean immigrant parents were identified as implications for research and practices. Further discussion of the findings and limitations are provided.

Psychological Distress, Coping Strategies and Social Support in Parents of Children with Leukemia

Background: Leukemia poses significant distress for affected children and their families, necessitating extensive parental involvement in care. Parents must manage multiple clinic visits, medication administration, and provide emotional support during treatment, impacting their psychological well-being. Objective: To assess the levels of psychological distress, coping strategies, and social support among parents of children with leukemia. Methods: This analytical cross-sectional study was conducted at Bolan Medical Complex and Cenar Cancer Hospital in Quetta, Baluchistan. A total of 341 parents participated, with data collected via three standardized questionnaires: the Coping Health Inventory for Parents (CHIP), Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K10), and Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support. Ethical approval was granted by the Khyber Medical University Peshawar. Results: Among the participants, 36.1% were aged 25-35 years; 61.9% were male. Educational levels were 73.9% secondary and 23.8% primary. Psychological distress was reported as moderate by 86%, while 76% utilized fair coping strategies, and 95% experienced medium social support. There was no significant correlation between psychological distress and coping strategies; however, a negative association was noted between social support and psychological distress. Conclusion: The study reveals substantial psychological distress among parents, with prevalent fair coping strategies and medium social support. Enhanced social support is negatively associated with psychological distress, highlighting the need for targeted support interventions.

Kanserli Çocukların Annelerinin Başa Çıkma Davranışlarının İncelenmesi

It is extremely important to provide psychosocial support to mothers have a primary caregiver role in the children's diagnosis and treatment of cancer. Before providing this support, we planned this study to determine the coping behaviors that mothers used the most and believed to be the most beneficial. Mothers of 23 children aged 0-9 years with different cancer types were included in the study. Coping Health Inventory for Parents (CHIP) was used to evaluate mothers' coping behavior. The most useful behaviors for mothers were determined by calculating the total score of each sub-dimension and the scores per item in these sub-dimensions with the descriptive statistics calculations. The relationships between sub-dimensions were examined with Spearman Correlation analysis. Coping behaviors mothers find most useful, “Telling myself I have many things I should be thankful for” in the dimension of family integration; “Talking with other individuals/parents in my same situation" in the social support dimension; "Reading more about the medical problem which concerns me" in understanding the medical situation. Points per item were calculated as 2.02 for family integration, 1.5 for social support and 2.01 for understanding medical situation. All sub-dimensions show a positive relationship (p<0.05) with each other, the dimensions of maintaining family integration and understanding the medical situation show relationship strongly (p<0.01). Multidisciplinary studies are required for approaches that strengthen family relations and improve mothers' knowledge of medical issues as much as possible. Keywords: Family, Coping, Childhood Cancer

Perceived family impact and coping mechanisms of caregivers of children with nephrotic syndrome.

Pediatric chronic disease impacts the affected child and their family structure. There is limited literature investigating the psychosocial impact of nephrotic syndrome on families. Caregivers of children with nephrotic syndrome completed two validated surveys: (1) Impact on Family (IOF) that evaluates the family impact (degree to which family is affected by a pediatric chronic illness) and (2) Coping Health Inventory for Parents (CHIP) that examines the coping patterns used by caregivers. Linear regression models were utilized to determine predictors of perceived family impact and coping patterns. Seventy-five caregivers of a child with nephrotic syndrome completed the surveys. On a scale from low impact to significant impact to very serious impact, results indicated that nephrotic syndrome had a significant impact on families (mean revised IOF total score 33.04 ± 9.38). Families in the steroid-resistant nephrotic syndrome (SRNS) group reported a higher financial impact compared to the steroid-sensitive nephrotic syndrome (SSNS) group (p = 0.03). Families in the frequently relapsing group (FRNS) reported a higher impact on the caregiver's ability to cope with the child's condition compared to the SRNS group (p = 0.02). Tacrolimus use was associated with increasing the perceived family impact (β = 4.76, p = 0.046). CHIP scores indicated that caregivers did not cope well with family integration (component I) but coped well with social support (component II) and communication (component III). Childhood nephrotic syndrome has a significant overall perceived impact on the family, and caregivers did not cope well regarding strengthening their family life. These findings can be used as outcome measures for future intervention studies to find solutions that would decrease the perceived family burden. A higher resolution version of the Graphical abstract is available as Supplementary information.

Resilience and Related Factors: A Comparison of Fathers and Mothers of Patients With Cleft Lip and/or Palate in China

Background: Resilience has become a hot spot in the field of positive psychology to study life-change events. However, there were little information on resilience among the fathers and mothers of patients with cleft lip and/or palate respectively. The present study aimed to explore and compare the level and potential influential factors associated with resilience among fathers/mothers of patients with cleft lip and/or palate in China.Method: A cross-sectional study was carried out between April 2019 and July 2020 among fathers/mothers of patients with cleft lip and/or palate in two cleft lip and/or palate treatment centers in China. Sixty Nine fathers and 179 mothers of patients with cleft lip and/or palate were interviewed with a questionnaire on demographic variables and the Resilience Scale-14 (RS-14), Herth Hope Index (HHI), Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS), Revised Life Orientation Test (LOT-R), Parenting Stress Index-Short Form (PSI-SF) and Coping Health Inventory for Parents (CHIP). T-test/univariate one-way ANOVA, Pearson's r, hierarchical linear regression analysis were conducted to explore the influential factors of resilience.Results: Fathers of patients with cleft lip and/or palate had a higher level of resilience (77.77 ± 14.18) than mothers (74.52 ± 14.33) though without significance. Resilience was positively associated with hope, perceived social support, optimism and coping and negatively correlated with parenting stress both in the fathers and the mothers. Hierarchical linear regression analysis showed that hope (β = 0.400, P < 0.01), coping (β = 0.281, P < 0.05), job status, medical payments (β = −0.240, P < 0.05) were found to be associated with resilience among the fathers of patients with CL/P, and all four variables in the model could explain 42.8% of the variance in resilience; Hope (β = 0.225, P < 0.05), perceived social support (β = 0.194, P < 0.05), the age of patients (β = 0.189, P < 0.05) were found to be associated with resilience among the mothers, and all three variables in the model could explain 27.6% of the variance in resilience.Conclusion: Our study showed that, in China, fathers of patients with cleft lip and/or palate had a higher level of resilience than mothers though without significance. Hope was the only communal variable strongly associated with resilience among both the fathers and the mothers; besides, coping, job status and medical payments were found to be associated with resilience among the fathers; while perceived social support and the age of patients were found to be associated with resilience among the mothers. The results suggest that enhance hope in parents of patients with cleft lip and/or palate might greatly help improve their resilience. Besides, fathers and mothers need specific intervention to prompt their resilience.

A parent–child conjoint psychological intervention for children in maintenance phase of acute lymphoblastic leukemia: Feasibility and preliminary outcomes from a randomized control pilot trial

ObjectiveTo develop and test a brief Composite Intervention Module for Pre-adolescents with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (CIMPALL). DesignSingle-center randomized controlled design. SettingA tertiary care center of national importance ParticipantsA total of 36 children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia in the maintenance phase of the treatment. InterventionA five-session (540 min) brief, multidomain, audiovisually aided, therapist-facilitated conjoint intervention module for children with cancer and their parents. Main outcome measuresStandardized psychological tools for children including CBCL, CPSS (Child Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms Scale), PedsQol (Pediatric Quality of Life), and NIMHANS (National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences) neuropsychological battery and parents including PTSD CC (Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Civilian Checklist), CHIP (Coping Health Inventory for Parents), CBS (Caregiver Burden Scale), and SRQ (Self-Reporting Questionnaire). ResultsA total of 36 patients were randomized to an experimental or a control group. Over 80% agreement was observed on indices of expert evaluation; 100% of participants found the sessions to be helpful, useful, appropriate in terms of time, duration, and place, and interventionist. The participation rate in the sessions was 94% and the study flow was smooth; 97.3% eligible candidates agreed to participate. Furthermore, 100% agreement on performance of activities was observed and the attrition rate was 5.26%. ConclusionThis pilot study presents the CIMPALL, which to the best of our knowledge is the first of its kind in India. The data suggest that the CIMPALL intervention is feasibly delivered by a clinical psychologist and that the CIMPALL intervention has an impact on important psychosocial variables for children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia and their parents.

Parents' from Poland coping with the illness of a child—Preliminary research. Cultural adaptation and evaluation of the psychometric properties of the coping health inventory for parents - polish version

PurposeThe goal was to present preliminary research results on how parents cope with the illness of a child using the Coping Health Inventory for Parents (CHIP) after it had been culturally adapted and its psychometric properties evaluated. Design and methodsTaking part in the study were 459 parents of children with asthma (n = 230) or suffering pain (n = 229).A. ResultsThe content validity of the coefficient of variation ratio (CVR) for each item on the scale ranged from 0.84 to 1.00. Exploratory factor analysis by principal components method with Equamax rotation confirmed the three-factor structure of the test. THe theoretical validity of the tool was confirmed by intercorrelation matrix analysis, and the criterion validity of the CHIP test was evaluated based on analysis of intergroup differences regarding individual measurements of coping by parents of children diagnosed with asthma but differentiated by need of regular medication. CHIP has high Cronbach alpha coefficients values: 0.80–0.86. Results indicate that the children's parents rate as moderately helpful the Support (2.23, ± 0.60) and Family (2.17, ± 0.55) styles. Parents rated the Medical style as least helpful in coping (1.75, ± 0,59). ConclusionsThis study confirms both the accuracy and the reliability of the CHIP test, and the obtained coefficient values indicate that the tool can be used for individual and for scientific research. Practice implicationsThe study shows that assessment of the manner of a parent's coping with the illness of a child is influenced by the child's gender and place of residence.

Stress levels and coping strategies among Jordanian parents caring for newly diagnosed children with leukemia: A cross sectional descriptive correlational study

Background: The purpose of this study was to describe the stress experienced and coping approaches exhibited by Jordanian parents of children recently diagnosed with leukemia. Method: This cross-sectional study collected data from parents of children who had been diagnosed with leukemia within the previous three months (N = 130; 57 fathers (43.8%) and 73 mothers (56.2%), age (Mean = 37.5, SD = 8.4)). The Parenting Stress Index–Short Form was used. Similarly, parents’ coping approaches were assessed with the Coping Health Inventory for Parents. Results: Parents’ mean total stress and coping strategies scores were 108 (± 26.8) and 93.9 (± 15.6), respectively. There were significant negative relationships between parents’ stress levels and age (r = −0.46, p = .01), education level (f = 28.5, p < .05), and income (r = −0.65, p = .01). Additionally, there were significant positive relationships between parents’ coping strategies and age (r = 0.34, p = .01) and income (r = 0.53, p < .01). There were non-significant differences between fathers’ and mothers’ stress levels and coping strategies. Conclusions: Parents of children with leukemia experienced high stress. The findings also confirmed the negative relationship between parents’ stress, age, education level, and income; and the positive relationship between parents’ coping strategies, age, and income. Application to Practice: Several strategies are needed to manage said stress; for example, respite care for parents who spend long hours at the hospital. Volunteers to care for children at home or hospital might also relieve parents’ stress.

The Healing Hearts at Home© Mobile Application Usability and Influence on Parental Perceived Stress

In this study, the Healing Hearts and Home© (HHH©) application was piloted to determine the usability and usefulness of the mobile application and whether the application had an effect on caregivers' coping and stress. A posttest consisting of the Systems Usability Scale (SUS), the Coping Health Inventory for Parents (CHIP), and the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) was used to collect information on the application usability, coping patterns, and perceived stress. Key informants provided more insight into usefulness. The SUS rating was 86.94 (SD = 6.34). The excellent usability score did not translate into uptake, though interest remained. The PSS scores for the control group 17.11 (SD = 1.69) and the intervention group were 19.11 (SD = 6.51) were not statistically different. None of the CHIP subscales predicted the PSS score. The HHH© application shows potential to reduce stress and improve coping in caregivers in the absence of available in-person intervention.

Psychological outcomes, coping and illness perceptions among parents of children with neurological disorders

Objective To assess the Common Sense Model among parents of children with neurological disorders, by determining the prevalence of symptoms of anxiety and depression, and how illness perceptions relate to symptoms of anxiety and depression both directly, and indirectly via coping. Design 205 parents of children with neurological disorders in Hyderabad, India completed questionnaires. Main Outcome Measures Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire and Coping Health Inventory for Parents. We used multiple regressions and PROCESS for SPSS to assess direct and indirect relationships. Results Mild to severe symptoms of anxiety (41.0%) and depression (39.5%) were common. Symptoms of anxiety and/or depression were related to perceived treatment control over the illness, perceived understanding of the illness, perceived personal control over the illness (anxiety only), and perceived timeline of the illness (depression only). The coping strategy ‘maintaining social support’ mediated the relationship between symptoms of depression and four illness perceptions: perceived consequences (95%CI=.03,-.21), timeline (95%CI=.01,-.25), perceived personal control (95%CI=.02-.24), and treatment control (95%CI=.01-.34). Conclusion Our findings have implications for education interventions to improve community attitudes of child neurological disorders. Such interventions may allow families’ social networks to provide more support to parents, which could aid parents’ coping strategies.

STUDY ON COPING AMONG PARENTS WITH CHRONIC ILL CHILD

Coping is the use of cognitive and behavioral strategies to manage the demands of a situation when these are appraised as taxing or exceeding one’s resources or to reduce the negative emotions and conflict caused by stress(American Psychological Association). A physical disability is a limitation on a person's physical functioning, mobility, dexterity or stamina. Other physical disabilities include impairments which limit other facets of daily living, such as respiratory disorders, blindness, epilepsy and sleep disorders. A mentally disabled is characterized by below-average intelligence or mental ability and a lack of skills necessary for day-to-day living. People with intellectual disabilities can and do learn new skills, but they learn them more slowly. The study aimed to find the coping of parents with physically or mentally disabled child in different situations or occasions. The sample considered included a total of 35 parents with 18 females and 17 males were selected using purposive sampling. Coping Health Inventory for Parents (McCubbin, Patterson, Cauble, Wilson and Warwick, 1983) was used for data collection. The data was analyzed using frequency distribution, standard deviation and correlation. The result showed that the coping patterns were different based on their gender. The father were having a higher emotional disturbance as compared to that of the mother, they also had an unsatisfactory relationship to the chronically ill-child. Whereas, the mother had a higher level of relationship with the chronically ill-child. The result also showed that there was a significant correlation between the coping patterns of many families in different occasion.

Stress and Coping in Caregivers of Children with RASopathies: Assessment of the Impact of Caregiver Conferences.

The study aimed to assess baseline stress and coping mechanisms among caregivers of children with RASopathies (i.e., cardiofaciocutaneous and Costello's syndrome) and the impact of attending biennial caregiver conferences. Caregivers completed the Perceived Stress Scale, Coping Health Inventory for Parents, and demographic surveys prior to family conferences, and 1- and 6-month postconferences. Baseline stress was increased and associated with child age, parental age, and number of conferences attended. After 1 month, caregiver stress was lowered among men and caregivers attending ≥2 support conferences.

Readiness for Hospital Discharge, Stress, and Coping in Mothers of Children Undergoing Cardiac Surgeries: A Single-Center Prospective Study.

To examine the relationship between stress, coping, and discharge readiness in mothers of children undergoing congenital heart surgeries. Quantitative descriptive study at three time points: pre surgery (time point I), day of hospital discharge (time point II) and 2 weeks following discharge (time point III). Tertiary care pediatric hospital in Singapore. One hundred mothers whose children had undergone congenital heart surgeries. Data collection included self-reported questionnaires of the Pediatric Inventory for Parents and the Coping Health Inventory for Parents across three time points. Readiness for Hospital Discharge Scale was administered at hospital discharge (time point II). The utilization of health services and support was reported at post discharge (time point III). One-hundred mothers participated in this study between May 2016 and July 2017. Their mean age was 35.8 years (SD = 7.0), and the mean age of their children was 3.7 years (SD = 4.6). There was significant reduction in mean stress difficulty (Pediatric Inventory for Parents) of mothers (F = 4.58; p = 0.013) from time point I to III. No significant changes were found in the overall mean coping score (Coping Health Inventory for Parents) of mothers across time. The mean overall score for the readiness for discharge (Readiness for Hospital Discharge Scale) of mothers at hospital discharge was 207.34 (SD = 29.22). Coping through family integration subscale and communication stress predicted discharge readiness of mothers (adjusted R = 0.11; p = 0.034). Mothers who reported higher overall stress (Pediatric Inventory for Parents) 2 weeks post discharge were more likely to call a friend or family member, visit the emergency department, or have their child readmitted to hospital following hospital discharge. We identified coping by family integration and communication-related stress as predictors of readiness for discharge. Strategies targeted at communication and family integration for discharge preparation may improve caregivers' readiness for hospital discharge.

Brief version of the coping health inventory for parents (CHIP) among family caregivers of children with chronic diseases

BackgroundThe Coping Health Inventory for Parents (CHIP) has demonstrated good psychometric properties in several language forms and has been used to assess the coping behaviors of families facing disease. However, the CHIP has not been validated in Mexico among families of children with chronic conditions, where it could be useful for research and intervention. The objectives of this instrumental study were to obtain a version of the CHIP for the Spanish language in Mexico, establish the factor structure of the Mexican version of the CHIP, probe its internal consistency reliability, and assess its concurrent construct validity.MethodsA nonprobability sample of 405 family caregivers of children with chronic diseases responded to a battery of measurement instruments that included the CHIP, the Beck Anxiety Inventory, and the Beck Depression Inventory. The sample was randomly divided into two parts. In one subsample (190 participants), an exploratory factor analysis was performed using a principal component analysis and oblique rotation. In the second subsample (215 participants), a confirmatory factor analysis was performed using maximum likelihood estimation.ResultsThe scale was reduced to 16 items (CHIP-16) with factorial loads greater than .50. The empirical criteria used to determine the number of factors converged on the following five factors: belief and trust (McDonald ω = .85), spouse/partner relationship (ω = .79), home care (ω = .77), family involvement (ω = .75), and security/stability (ω = .79). The overall internal consistency was good (ω = .88). The five-factor model showed acceptable fit indices and high parsimony. The mean CHIP-16 scores and the Spouse/partner relationship scores among the caregivers with anxiety were greater than those among the caregivers without anxiety. The mean home-care scores among the women were greater than those among men.ConclusionsThe 16-item version of the CHIP showed good internal consistency and construct validity; thus, the CHIP-16 is a useful instrument for measuring and assessing coping in family caregivers of children with chronic diseases.

Analysis of Present Situation and Influencing Factors of Coping Methods by Parents of Children with Central Nervous System Tumors

Background: Central nervous system (CNS) tumors are the most common solid tumors among children. Due to the severity of the tumors and the complexity of therapeutic regimes, it is very important to examine whether parents of the children with CNS tumors have positive coping methods against the disease. This study aims to analyze the coping methods of the parents and the factors influencing the methods. Methods: A total of 108 parents of brain cancer children admitted from January 2019 to September 2020 were selected as subjects. After collecting the general information of the parents, they were studied using the Coping Health Inventory for Parents (CHIP, Chinese version). Additionally, their coping pattern and the influencing factors were analyzed. Results: The average scores of the three subscales of the CHIP were (4.25 ± 0.939), (3.11 ± 1.205) and (3.60 ± 1.187), respectively. Univariate analysis showed that parents’ education, medical payment methods, places of residence and economic concerns were the main factors influencing the coping methods (all P Conclusions: Healthcare staff should fully evaluate the coping methods adopted by the parents having children with CNS tumors, take targeted nursing measures accordingly, and assist the parents in seeking social support and learning disease-related knowledge. In addition, public education on disease is equally important.

Study on the family hardiness and its influencing factors in children with leukemia

Objective To investigate the current status of hardiness and its influencing factors in children with leukemia. Methods The children with leukemia and their caregivers in the Children's Hospital of Shanxi from August to November 2017 were enrolled. A questionnaire survey was conducted using a convenient sampling method, and 100 questionnaires were distributed. The questionnaire included the General Status Questionnaire, the Family Hardiness Index (FHI), the Coping Health Inventory for Parents (CHIP) and the Positive and Negative Affect Scale (PANAS). Results A total of 92 valid questionnaires were collected. Among the scores of hardiness in children with leukemia [(3.29±0.43) points], the responsibility score [(3.32±0.45) points] was higher than the control score [(3.31±0.46) points] and the challenge score [(3.23±0.53) points], and the challenge score was the lowest. The score of frequency of coping styles used by the caregiver of the child with leukemia was (3.64±0.70) points, the most frequent coping style used by the caregiver was family unity, optimism, cooperative attitude [(3.73±0.89) points], and the positive [(3.28±0.84) points] and negative [(2.51±0.80) points] emotions were in a moderate state. The child's sex, age, stage of chemotherapy and medical insurance status, the caregiver of the child, the age of the caregiver, the family's place of residence, and the education level were the related factors affecting the hardiness score (all P < 0.01). The age of child, CHIP-1, CHIP-2, positive emotion and negative emotion were independent factors affecting the hardiness (all P < 0.05). The CHIP, CHIP-1, CHIP-2 and positive emotion were positively correlated with the hardiness (r values were 0.827, 0.883, 0.707 and 0.846, all P < 0.01); the negative emotion was negatively correlated with the hardiness (r=-0.832, P < 0.01). Conclusion The hardiness of children with leukemia is in the middle and upper level, the children's age, caregiver's coping style, positive emotion and negative emotion are factors affecting the hardiness. Key words: Leukemia; Child; Family hardiness; Influencing factors; Psychotherapy

Power of Religious Beliefs and Coping with Cancer: Opinions of Iranian Parents.

Childhood cancer as a stressful event has many consequences for both the parents and their children. The aim of the study was to assess the coping strategies used by Iranian parents of children with cancer. The present study was conducted through convenience sampling with the participation of 205 parents with at least one child with cancer referred to the oncology ward, in the southeast of Iran. The Coping Health Inventory for Parents was used to measure parental coping strategies. Results showed that the highest and the lowest mean coping score belonged to the dimensions of social support and medical factors, respectively. Briefly, "Belief in God" and "Gratefulness for his Blessings" were the most helpful coping strategies among parents. Based on results of this study, it seems necessary for nurses to be aware of all aspects of human existence, including religion and spirituality as strong sources of power for parents to adapt with the illness of their child. Also, providing interventions to teach effective coping skills to parents may reduce their distress and improve their quality of life.

Coping Strategies among Caregivers of Children with Acute Leukemia at Nanakali Hospital in Erbil City

Background and objectives: Childhood with leukemia is one of the developing global health issues, which has negative psychological, social, and physical consequences on care-givers, and affects the quality of long-term care of leukemic children. The current study aimed to assess coping strategies among caregivers of children with acute leukemia in Erbil City in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq.Methods: A descriptive study was carried out at the Nanakali Hospital for Blood Diseases and cancer in Erbil City from 10th October 2018 to 10th June 2019. The research sample involved 54 caregivers of leukemic children undergoing chemotherapy that were purposively recruited for the study. The researchers used a standard tool of “Coping Health Inventory for Parents” after verifying its validity and reliability. The data were collected by interviewing the participants and analyzed using frequency, percentage, mean, chi-square, and Fisher's exact test.Results: More than half, 28 (52%) of the children were female and the majority, 48 (88.9%) of them were diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. The mean age of caregivers was 36.53± 7.53 years, and the majority of chief caregivers (87%) were mothers, mainly illiterate and secondary school graduates. Regarding the overall levels of coping patterns scores among caregivers, the highest percentage (61.1%) of them were at the medium level. Concerning each of the three levels of coping patterns score; for 87% of care-givers, maintaining family integration was within the medium level, while social support and self-esteem and an understanding medical situation, had lower percentages of 59.3% and 63% retrospectively. The results of the study revealed that there is a significant relationship between levels of coping and caregiver’s education.Conclusion: According to the findings of the study, the majority of caregivers of children with leukemia undergoing chemotherapy treatment had a low level of coping in most of the coping patterns domains.

Mealtime Anxiety and Coping Behaviour in Parents and Children During Weaning in PKU: A Case-Control Study.

Solid food introduction may create anxiety for parents of children with phenylketonuria (PKU) due to the burden associated with protein substitute (PS) administration and natural protein restriction. In a longitudinal, prospective study, 20 mothers of children with PKU and 20 non-PKU control mothers completed 4 questionnaires (mealtime emotions, feed-time, Beck’s anxiety inventory and the coping health inventory for parents), examining parent/child mealtime emotions, anxiety, stress and coping strategies at child ages: weaning start, 8 months (m), 12 m, 15 m, 18 m and 24 m. Overall, mothers of children with PKU cope well with solid food introduction when applying a low-phenylalanine diet, with comparable low levels of stress and anxiety reported in both PKU and non-PKU groups. However, mothers of children with PKU reported peak scores in anxiety for emotive/cognitive symptoms at a child age of 15 m, and higher use of coping strategies at 15 m and 24 m (p < 0.05) of age. Generally, there was a trend that maternal anxiety regarding child rejection of PS increased with time, peaking between 12–24 m. In PKU, a child age of 12–18 m is identified as a key period when mothers feel most anxious/stressed with feeding, coinciding with raised blood phenylalanine levels probably associated with teething, illness and developing independence. Health professionals should be conscious of this vulnerable period and be prepared to offer more directional support as required.