Journaling as reinforcement for the resourcefulness training intervention in mothers of technology-dependent children.
Valerie Boebel Toly, Julia E Blanchette, Carol M Musil and 1 others
PMID 27969041WHAT IT FOUND
Nineteen of 22 mothers of technology-dependent children completed four weeks of journaling and found it helpful, though some called it stressful or too private to share.
It can reinforce nurse teaching, but it was not shown to improve mood.
Key findings
01Nineteen of 22 mothers completed the four-week journal writing, and mothers averaged 23.9 journal days.
02A majority of mothers reported journaling was helpful, while some found it stressful and two did not want to share their journals.
03Among 11 intervention journals analysed, relying on family and friends and organizing daily activities were the most frequently recorded skills.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
This was a small secondary analysis of a pilot study, so it cannot show whether journaling or resourcefulness training improves mood, stress, or family outcomes. Only 22 mothers were recruited, and 19 completed journal writing; two did not want to share their journals and one did not respond to follow-up data collection attempts. Fidelity was analysed from 11 journals in the resourcefulness training group, so the findings do not describe what the journaling-only group wrote. The sample was mostly Caucasian and had family income of $40K to $80K, with minority, rural, and low-income families underrepresented. Most children were dependent on respiratory or nutritional support, so findings may not apply to all groups of technology-dependent children. The supplied text does not report the randomisation method, blinding, allocation concealment, or clinical outcomes.
Declared interests
Funding is listed as NIH extramural and non-U.S. government support; no conflict-of-interest statement is included in the supplied text.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read this as evidence that journaling reduces depression, stress, or caregiver burden. The study assessed feasibility, acceptability, and fidelity, and it did not report outcomes for the intervention compared with journaling only.