The cortisol response in parents staying with a sick child at hospital.
Charlotte Angelhoff, Ulla Edéll-Gustafsson, Evalotte Mörelius
PMID 30918712WHAT IT FOUND
Parents staying overnight at the hospital with their sick child had significantly lower morning cortisol levels than when they were at home four weeks later.
However, their ability to produce a normal cortisol surge after waking remained intact, suggesting they were not physiologically exhausted despite the stress.
Key findings
01Morning awakening cortisol levels were significantly lower for parents staying at the paediatric ward compared to when they were at home after discharge.
02The cortisol awakening response (the increase in cortisol after waking) was not significantly different between the hospital and home settings.
03Parents' morning and post-awakening cortisol levels were significantly lower than those of a healthy reference population, both in the hospital and at home.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The study did not measure actual stress levels or mood, relying solely on cortisol as a biomarker. Timing of saliva samples could be inaccurate if parents delayed sampling due to caring for their child or using an alarm snooze. The sample size was small (31 parents), and the children had varied diagnoses and ages, which may limit generalisability. The reference population data came from a different study, which may introduce comparability issues.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret the lower cortisol levels as a sign of adrenal exhaustion or burnout. The study found that the cortisol awakening response remained normal, suggesting parents were still physiologically capable of mounting a stress response, even if their baseline levels were lower than healthy adults.