A Investigation into Hope, Self-Efficacy, Distress and Uncertainty in Parents Who Have A Child with A Life-Threatening or Life-Limiting Illness

Title

A Investigation into Hope, Self-Efficacy, Distress and Uncertainty in Parents Who Have A Child with A Life-Threatening or Life-Limiting Illness

Creator

Spurr S; Bally J; Burles M; McHaro K

Publisher

Journal of Pediatric Nursing

Date

2022

Subject

Children; Families; Hope; Life-limiting illness; Life-threatening illness; Self-efficacy; article; care; behavior; caregiver; child; controlled study; demographics; distress; syndrome; exploratory; research; financial management; human; parental leave; pediatric; nurse; quantitative analysis; self concept; uncertainty

Description

PURPOSE: To examine the experiences of parents who are caring for a child with a life-threatening or life-limiting illness (LTI/LLI) including levels of uncertainty, distress, hope, and self-efficacy to determine if there are significant variations with respect to demographic characteristics. DESIGN AND METHODS: Data for this analysis are derived from a quasi-experimental evaluation of a support intervention with a purposeful sample of parental caregivers from a western Canadian province. Participants completed a demographic survey and four quantitative measures at baseline and following use of the support intervention. RESULT(S): Many parents had high scores of hope and self-efficacy, with highest levels of hope amongst parents who could stay at home with their children, and higher self-efficacy expressed by parents without financial concerns. Increased levels of uncertainty and distress were found amongst parents without other children living in the home, and those with financial concerns, respectively. CONCLUSION(S): This exploratory analysis found that many parents experienced clinically significant distress along with uncertainty. The results determined that caring for children in the home other than the ill child significantly decreased uncertainty. High levels of parental hope and self-efficacy were frequently identified, with variations reflecting differences in social roles and stressors. The results contribute to an increased understanding of the value of support resources including parental leave and financial support. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: Pediatric nurses may consider adopting an approach to caring for families with children in treatment for LLIs/LTIs that gives high priority to promoting hope and self-efficacy while ensuring access to support resources. Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Rights

Article information provided for research and reference use only. PedPalASCNET does not hold any rights over the resource listed here. All rights are retained by the journal listed under publisher and/or the creator(s).

Citation List Month

October 2022 List

Collection

Citation

Spurr S; Bally J; Burles M; McHaro K, “A Investigation into Hope, Self-Efficacy, Distress and Uncertainty in Parents Who Have A Child with A Life-Threatening or Life-Limiting Illness,” Pediatric Palliative Care Library, accessed March 28, 2024, https://pedpalascnetlibrary.omeka.net/items/show/18386.