Parenting a child with a chronic illness during a pandemic.
Cara Gallegos, Michael D Aldridge, Kelley Connor and 1 others
PMID 35640486WHAT IT FOUND
Most mothers who answered said the pandemic increased their stress while caring for a child with chronic illness, describing isolation, less therapy and support, and worries about siblings.
Emotional distress was the highest stress score.
Key findings
01Of 30 parents who answered the pandemic stress question, 27 (90%) said the pandemic increased their stress, 1 (3%) said it lowered it, and 2 (7%) said it did not change it.
02On the 42 to 210 Pediatric Inventory for Parents scale, total frequency was 146.6 and total difficulty was 141.9; emotional distress was the highest subscale and communication the lowest.
03Open-ended responses included isolation (17, 57%) and lack of support or socialization (14, 47%).
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The sample was small and convenience recruited: 34 mothers from a local nonprofit, primarily female, educated, and White/non-Hispanic. The authors say the small sample size and timing during a pandemic limit generalizability. The children had multiple chronic conditions and higher acuity, so results may not apply to less complex families. Only 30 parents answered the pandemic stress question, and the authors say it is difficult to tell whether stress was related to the pandemic or medical complexity.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that the pandemic caused increased stress or that asking parents about stress has been shown to help. This was a small descriptive survey of 34 mothers, and the authors say the stress scores could reflect medical complexity as well as the pandemic.