Psychometric evaluation of the brief RCOPE and relationships with psychological functioning among caregivers of children undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplant.

OBJECTIVE: Spiritual and religious (S/R) coping is a relevant yet understudied domain of coping among caregivers of children undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HCT). The aims of this manuscript are to: (1) conduct the first psychometric evaluation of the Brief RCOPE in this population; (2) examine levels of and changes in S/R coping over time; and (3) explore the relationship between S/R coping trajectories and psychological functioning post-HCT. METHODS: Caregivers (n = 170) of children (ages ≤12 years, n = 170) undergoing HCT completed the Brief RCOPE and the Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI) pre- and at multiple time points post-HCT discharge. Factor structure, internal consistency, and validity were examined. Growth mixture models were used to identify subgroups with similar S/R coping trajectories, with group memberships added to mixture models to explore relationships between group membership and caregiver psychological functioning trajectories. RESULTS: The Brief RCOPE exhibited the previously-supported two factor structure and each subscale demonstrated strong internal consistency (α = 0.85 and 0.92). Validity was supported by significant correlations with BSI scores. There were distinct subgroups of caregivers with different patterns of positive (n = 4 subgroups) and negative (n = 3 subgroups) S/R coping, with negative coping subgroup membership predicting changes in psychological functioning. CONCLUSIONS: The Brief RCOPE is a promising measure for assessing S/R coping among caregivers of children undergoing HCT and has the potential to identify caregivers at risk for poorer long-term psychological functioning.

Islam, The Holy Qur'an, and Medical Decision-Making: The Experience of Middle Eastern Muslim Families with Children Undergoing Bone Marrow Transplantation in the United States.

Some Arabic-speaking Muslim family members of children requiring bone marrow transplantation receive medical care for their children in the United States. Muslim family members' use of Islam in the course of their child's bone marrow transplantation was studied using grounded theory, a qualitative research method. Eighteen members of Middle Eastern Muslim families with a total of 13 children receiving bone marrow transplantation were interviewed by an Arabic-speaking healthcare provider. Interviews were coded by an interdisciplinary team. Seven key themes were identified.