STRESS LEVEL IN PARENTS OF HOSPITALIZED CHILDREN IN PEDIATRIC AND NEONATAL CRITICAL CARE UNITS

Abstract

Introduction: Illness and hospitalization are critical events for a child. It is common that the whole family experiences a stress reaction while the child is seriously ill or hospitalized. Objective: The purpose of this research is to determine the stress level in parents whose children have been hospitalized in neonatal and pediatric critical care units, and how this relates to the socio-demographic characteristics of the parent and/or child. Materials and Methods: Quantitative, descriptive correlational and cross-sectional study, using a sample of 41 suitable parents, who were present in May 2017 in the pediatric and neonatal critical care units of a hospital located in the Ñuble Region, Chile. A characterization questionnaire and the Spanish version of the Parental Stress Scale adapted by Polaino-Lorente and Ochoa were applied. The data were processed using SPSS 15.0, performing Student’s t and one-way ANOVA tests. Results: According to the overall stress score, 48.8% classified the level as extremely stressful; 29.3% as very stressful; 12.2% as moderately stressful and the rest as little and not stressful at all. Stress in parents is higher during the child’s first week of hospitalization, both in areas of communication with the health professionals and the alteration of the parental role. Conclusion: Stress in parents with a hospitalized child in critical care units can be extreme, being higher during the child’s first week of hospitalization.