Impact in the quality of life of parents of children with chronic diseases using psychoeducational interventions – A systematic review with meta-analysis

ObjectiveThis study aimed to identify psychoeducational interventions applied to parents of children with chronic diseases and evaluate their impact on their quality of life (QoL).MethodsIt was conducted in six databases, complemented by references from the included studies and other reviews, manual search, and contact with experts. We included primary studies on parents of children with chronic diseases that studied psychoeducational interventions versus standard care.ResultsWe screened 6604 titles and abstracts, reviewed the full text of 60 records, and included 37 primary studies. Half of the studies were on Asthma. We found three intervention formats: one-to-one (43%), groups (49%), and combined approach with individual and group settings (8%). More than 60% of the included studies found statistically significant differences between the intervention and the control group (p < 0.05).ConclusionSeveral interventions have shown efficacy in improving parental QoL. Despite that, there is insufficient evidence of interventions' implementation.Practice implicationsA holistic approach encompassing the patient and the family's biopsychosocial dimensions is fundamental in successfully managing chronic disease in children. It is vital to design and implement interventions accommodating the common issues experienced by children, parents, and families that deal with chronic childhood conditions.Systematic review registration number PROSPERO 2018 CRD42018092135.     

Quality of life of parents and siblings of children with cochlear implants

Objectives

This study examined the quality of life (QoL) of the parents and siblings of hearing-impaired children with cochlear implants (CIs).

Self-perceived health in Swedish parents of children with Down's syndrome

In this comparative study, self-perceived health was investigated in 165 parents of 86 children with Down's syndrome (DS), using the Swedish version of the SF-36 questionnaire. Questionnaires were mailed to parents of children with DS in a defined Swedish population. The results were compared with those in a randomised control group of parents from the Swedish SF-36 norm population. Mothers and fathers replied separately. Student's t-test with the Bonferroni correction was used for multiple statistical comparisons. The mothers of children with DS (DS mothers) had significantly lower, less favourable scores than did the fathers of DS children (DS fathers) in the Vitality (p < 0.0005) domain. Further, DS mothers spent significantly more time in caring for their child with DS than did the DS fathers (p < 0.0001). DS mothers also had lower scores than the mothers of the control group in the Vitality (p < 0.001) and Mental Health (p < 0.001) domains. DS fathers and control fathers differed significantly in the Mental Health domain (p < 0.002), but not otherwise. In conclusion, DS mothers showed poorer health than their spouses and the control mothers. No differences similar to those found between the DS mothers and DS fathers were observed between control mothers and control fathers.     

‘Wrong parents’ and ‘right parents’: Shared perspectives about citizen participation in policy implementation

Government policies, both in Europe and the U.S., increasingly mandate that community-based citizens partner with professionals to plan and implement policy-relevant programs. In the U.S., parents of children with serious emotional disturbances may participate in Community Collaboratives which are charged with implementing children's mental health policy in local communities.     

A comparison of coping strategies used by parents of children with disabilities and parents of children without disabilities

The purpose of this study was to determine whether coping strategies differ in parents of children with disabilities and parents of children without disabilities. Participants consisted of 112 parents, including 50 parents of children with disabilities and 62 parents of children without disabilities. It was hypothesized that coping strategies would be different between the two parent groups. It was also hypothesized that parents of children with disabilities would Seek Social Support and utilize Planful Problem Solving more often than parents of children without disabilities. Coping strategies employed were significantly different between the groups. Seeking Social Support was a more commonly used method of coping among parents of children with disabilities, as was Escape Avoidance and Positive Reappraisal.     

Developing a literature base to understand the caregiving experience of parents of children with cancer: a systematic review of factors related to parental health and well-being

Goal of work This paper describes a literature review conducted to identify important factors that have been investigated as explanations of variability in the health and well-being of parents of children with cancer. Our purpose was to build a literature base that could be used to guide and direct future research. Materials and methods Medline, Cinahl, EMBASE, PsycINFO, and Sociological Abstracts were searched from 1980 to 2005 using the keywords neoplasms; child(ren) aged 0–18 years; parent(s), caregiver(s), mother(s), or father(s). For papers that met the study inclusion criteria, sample characteristics and information about factors related to caregiver health, or the relationship between such factors, were extracted. The findings were organized according to the six main constructs that form the caregiving process and caregiver burden model: background/context variables; child characteristics; caregiver strain; self-perception; coping factors; and caregiver physical and psychological health. Main results Articles meeting the inclusion criteria totaled 57. We found substantial research showing that certain child characteristics (e.g., child behavior; time since diagnosis) and indicators of coping (e.g., family cohesion, social support, stress management) are related to parental psychological health. Other aspects of the caregiving process (e.g., parental self-perception, family-centered care, and physical health) have received less research attention. Conclusion Various limitations and gaps in the current literature were identified in our review. Future research to understand the complex interrelationships between factors involved in the caregiving process should examine hypotheses that are guided by a theoretical framework and tested using advanced statistical techniques.     

Children of injection drug users: Impact of parental HIV status, AIDS, and depression

We investigated the association between parental factors (including infection with human immunodeficiency virus [HIV], acquired immunodeficiency syndrome [AIDS] diagnosis, parental medical illness, and depression) and children's behavioral and emotional problems among children of injection drug users (IDUs). IDUs were recruited through community outreach. The sample included 73 parents of 73 children, aged 4 to 12 years. Parental depression (odds ratio [OR]=4.61) and medical illness (OR=4.70) were found to be significantly associated with internalizing (depressive and anxiety-related symptoms), but not with externalizing (aggressive and disruptive behaviors) symptoms in the children of IDUs. The clinical implications are that children of IDUs are known to be at high risk for psychiatric symptoms and disorders; these data suggest that children of depressed and/or medically ill IDU parents may be at even higher risk of internalizing symptoms (depression and anxiety symptoms) than children of IDUs who do not suffer from these conditions.     

首次住院儿童精神分裂症患者父母抑郁情绪及护理干预

目的 探讨儿童精神分裂症患者父母的抑郁情绪及干预措施.方法 对33例儿童精神分裂症患者父母进行症状自评量表(SCL-90)、抑郁自评量表(SDS)、汉密尔顿抑郁量表(HAMD)评分,并与全国常模比较.结果 护理干预前患者父母各量表总分均显著高于常模,且干预后减分显著.结论 精神分裂症患者父母存在着较严重的抑郁情绪,采取及时有效的干预措施十分重要.     

精神分裂症患者父母人格研究

目的　了解精神分裂症患者父母的人格特征。方法　对精神分裂症患者的父母（实验组）和正常健康人的父母（对照组）各６０对分别进行ＥＰＱ测验。结果　①实验组父亲Ｐ因子分、母亲Ｐ因子分、Ｎ因子分高于正常对照组，差异有显著性。②Ｐ因子分类人数比较结果显示：实验组父亲Ｐ因子高分人数百分比、母亲Ｐ因子较高分人数百分比大于正常对照组，差异有显著性。③Ｎ因子分类人数比较结果显示：实验组母亲Ｎ因子低分人数百分比小于正常对照组，较高分人数百分比大于正常对照组，差异有显著性。两组父亲Ｎ因子分类人数比较，差异无显著性。④两组父母Ｅ因子分类人数比较，差异无显著性。结论　精神分裂症患者的父母具有某些特质性人格特征。     

Parents’ involvement in their children's behavioral intervention programs: Parent and therapist perspectives

Although the need for active parent involvement in Intensive Behavioral Intervention (IBI) has been emphasized by professionals in the field, little research has explored this involvement or what it entails. A parent self-report questionnaire and a similar therapist questionnaire were designed for this study, in which parent Involvement and five variables believed to influence Involvement were operationalized and measured. The independent variables included: parents’ Self-efficacy; Knowledge of autism and IBI; Belief in IBI; Perception of Child Progress; and Stress. Forty-eight parents and 34 therapists completed questionnaires about parents’ involvement. Both similarities and discrepancies were noted between parent and therapist report. Parents’ Self-efficacy, Knowledge, and Belief in IBI were significantly correlated with their Involvement. Furthermore, according to parent report, Self-efficacy accounted for almost half of the variance in predicting Involvement, even when controlling for child characteristics. Clinical implications are discussed.