Parent psychosocial adjustment to inpatient pediatric rehabilitation, and the role of uncertainty and self-care.

Creator(s)

Dana Bakula, Children's Mercy HospitalFollow
Katherine A. Traino
Taylor M. Dattilo
Morgan P. Davis
Christina M. Sharkey
Hannah C. Espeleta
Amanda S. Cherry
Tami McMichael
Michael Johnson
Rebecca Wallace
Larry L. Mullins

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

5-2023

Identifier

DOI: 10.1037/rep0000483

Abstract

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE: The stressors experienced by parents of children admitted for inpatient rehabilitation likely place parents at high risk for poor psychosocial adjustment; however, no research to date has described parent adjustment during the acute phase of a child's inpatient rehabilitation hospitalization. The present study evaluates parent adjustment processes through the lens of the transactional stress and coping model by assessing a specific cognitive process (i.e., illness uncertainty) and coping methods (i.e., self-care), which may influence parent adjustment during the inpatient rehabilitation.

RESEARCH METHOD/DESIGN: Forty-two parents (47.6% White, 86% female) of children newly admitted to a pediatric inpatient rehabilitation hospital were recruited. Parents completed self-report measures of demographics, illness uncertainty, self-care, and depressive, anxious, and posttraumatic stress symptoms.

RESULTS: Sixty-six percent of parents reported clinically significant symptoms in at least one domain of distress. Illness uncertainty accounted for 22.2%-42.4% of the variance in parent distress symptoms, after controlling for parent and child age, parent trauma history, and income. Self-care accounted for 35.1%-51.9% of the variance in parent distress symptoms, when accounting for parent and child age, parent trauma history, and income.

CONCLUSIONS/IMPLICATIONS: More than half of parents endorsed clinical elevations in anxiety, depression, and/or posttraumatic stress. Illness uncertainty and self-care are likely very important clinical topics to discuss with parents. Future research should seek to not only assess how parent distress changes across time, but also how other cognitive processes, as well as environmental and family factors influence the parent adjustment process. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Journal Title

Rehabilitation psychology

Volume

68

Issue

2

First Page

146

Last Page

154

MeSH Keywords

Child; Humans; Female; Male; Self Care; Uncertainty; Inpatients; Parents; Anxiety; Stress, Psychological

Keywords

Self Care; Uncertainty; Inpatients; Parents; Anxiety; Psychological Stress

Comments

Grant support

• MH/NIMH NIH HHS/United States

Recommended Citation

Bakula DM, Traino KA, Dattilo TM, et al. Parent psychosocial adjustment to inpatient pediatric rehabilitation, and the role of uncertainty and self-care. Rehabil Psychol. 2023;68(2):146-154. doi:10.1037/rep0000483