Stress Coping Strategies in Parents of Newborns and Infants with Congenital Cyanotic Heart Disease with Regard to Stress Levels and Negative Emotions.

BACKGROUND: Parents of children suffering from congenital heart disease experience high levels of stress and negative emotions. Therefore, recognition of parents' emotional states and their ways of coping with it is becoming more and more important. METHODS: The study group consisted of 154 parents of newborns and infants with cyanotic congenital heart disease, before and after cardiac surgery (partial or full). To assess parental negative emotions, the level of stress, and strategies of coping with it, standardized questionnaires, such as HADS-M, PSS-10, and COPE, were used. RESULTS: Stress levels in parents were high and associated with negative emotions (anxiety, depression, irritability), as well as the choice of non-constructive coping strategies, which was observed especially in younger parents. CONCLUSIONS: Assessing parents' stress levels and ways of coping with stress can improve family functioning and provide better development conditions for the child.

Toxic Stress as a Potential Factor Inducing Negative Emotions in Parents of Newborns and Infants with Cyanotic Congenital Heart Disease.

BACKGROUND: Parents who have a newborn with a congenital heart defect experience negative emotions, which may determine the emotional state of their children. METHODS: The study group included 154 parents of newborns and infants with cyanotic congenital heart disease, before cardiac surgery and after the procedure. HADS m and PSS-10 questionnaires were used to assess parental anxiety, depression, aggression, and the level of stress. RESULTS: High levels of depression, anxiety, total HADS and stress were diagnosed in a large group of parents, regardless of the stage of cardiac surgery treatment. A high level of stress was associated with a higher prevalence of emotional disturbance both in the total HADS (overall) and in all its individual domains. Anxiety and depression were more common in mothers. A high level of stress was a significant predictor of anxiety and depression in parents. CONCLUSIONS: A high level of stress was a significant predictor of anxiety and depression in parents of infants with congenital heart disease. The parents' psychological condition is one of many potential determinants over the course of their child's treatment and recovery.

Association between Suicidal Behaviors in Adolescence and Negative Emotions, the Level of Stress, Stress Coping Strategies and the Quality of Sleep.

Suicidal behaviors in adolescents stem from complex processes deeply rooted in various spheres of life and functioning. The study was aimed at assessing the relationship between selected negative emotions, the quality of sleep, the level of perceived stress as well as stress coping strategies and suicidal ideation and attempts among high school students. The examined group consisted of adolescents aged 16-18 recruited by social-media groups in Poland. The study was based on a diagnostic survey with the application of CAWI method. The other research tools applied in the study included: Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale-Modified, Perceived Stress Scale-10, How do you cope?-Questionnaire, Athens Insomnia Scale as well as the authors' own questionnaire on suicidal ideation and suicide attempts. Anxiety, depression, aggression and insomnia as well as a high level of stress were statistically more common in girls than in boys (p < 0.001). The high level of negative emotions and insomnia, in turn, increased the risk of suicidal ideation (OR = 3.59, 95% CI: 2.13-6.06 and OR = 2.35, 95% CI: 1.60-3.46), as well as suicide attempts (OR = 6.29, 95% CI: 2.93-14.80 and OR = 3.29, 95% CI: 2.07-5.35). Additionally, high level of stress was associated with more than twice larger odds of suicidal ideation (OR = 2.26, 95% CI: 1.13-4.63). Significantly higher prevalence of suicidal ideation (p = 0.017) and suicide attempts (p = 0.016) was observed in girls. A high level of negative emotions and stress accompanied by a low quality of sleep are factors predisposing people to suicidal ideation and attempted suicide.

Hematopoietic and Lymphoid Cell Neoplasms in Children as a Factor Inducing Negative Emotions and Toxic Stress in Parents.

Parents whose children suffer from cancer experience chronic negative emotions, which may have a detrimental influence on their mental health. The aim of this study, conducted with a group of parents whose children were hospitalized for leukemia or lymphoma, was to assess stress, anxiety, depression, aggression and stress coping strategies as well as the correlations that take place between them. The study was conducted with a group of 101 parents of early school children (aged between 7 and 12) who were hospitalized for cancer in three medical centers in southern Poland. The HADS -M, PSS-10 and COPE questionnaires were used in the study. Mothers were found to experience higher levels of anxiety, depression and stress as compared to fathers. It was more common for men to resort to the strategy of substance use. Socio-demographic variables did not determine the examined emotions, the level of stress and the choice of stress coping strategies, with the exception of the strategy of suppression of competing activities. A positive relationship was found between the incidence of negative emotions and the selected strategies of coping with stress. Early diagnosis of disorders and assessment of parents' strategies of coping might help to counteract long-term consequences of trauma.

Selected predictors of parental satisfaction with child nursing care in paediatric wards in Poland-Cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Assessment of parental satisfaction with child nursing is the key issue in evaluation of the care quality, enabling the adjustment of the services provided to the needs and expectations of recipients, and thus ensuring safety and achieving better long-term health effects. AIM: Assessment of parental satisfaction with child nursing in paediatric wards including its determinants. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study covered 1030 parents of children hospitalised in paediatric and surgical wards of seven hospitals of different levels of health security in Poland. The Polish adaptation of the Empathic standardised questionnaire for assessment of the level of parents' satisfaction with nursing care, developed by Latour et al. and the self-constructed summary of socio-demographic data were applied in the study. RESULTS: More than 90% of respondents expressed high level of satisfaction with nurses' Availability, the lowest, but still high score of respondents' satisfaction was observed for Parental Participation. The highest satisfaction was observed among the parents of children at the preschool, early school and puberty stage, admitted to the hospital on the elective basis, referred for diagnostic assessment and with the length of hospital stay less than 7 and longer than 28 days. Achieving preschool age was the strongest factor which increased assessment of satisfaction in most domains. CONCLUSIONS: There is a need for optimising nursing care especially in the area of parental participation. The nursing care' quality improvement plan in paediatric departments should focus particularly on early childhood patients and their parents who are the most critical in satisfaction' assessment.

Determinants of Parental Satisfaction with Nursing Care in Paediatric Wards-A Preliminary Report.

Background: The quality of medical services for a child and their parents are tantamount to a sense of satisfaction with care. Purpose: The assessment of determinants of parental satisfaction with nursing care in paediatric wards. Methods: The study covered 336 parents of children hospitalised in paediatric departments and was based on the "EMPHATIC" questionnaire, standardized and adapted to Polish conditions. Results: The mean score of the overall parental satisfaction was high, amounting to 4.19 points. The lower level of satisfaction with nursing care was reported in parents of children under the age of 6 years, admitted in an emergency mode with a diagnosed post-trauma condition and those with higher education. The duration of hospitalisation, sex and age of parents did not have an influence on the satisfaction with care. Conclusions: The age of the child, admission mode and education of respondents are determinants of parental satisfaction with nursing care.

Potential predictors of the selected areas of the quality of life in adolescents with Crohn's disease in remission - a single-centre study.

Regardless of the phase, Crohn's disease, especially in the group of adolescents, may reduce the quality of life and prevent patients from fulfilling roles assigned to this stage of development. Aim of the study: The assessment of the quality of life and its potential predictors. Methods: The study included 65 people of both sexes with Crohn's disease aged from 13 to 18 years. The result of the evaluation of therapeutic effectiveness and the activity of the disease in the study group was below 150-220 CDAI points. The KIDSCREEN-52 questionnaire, numerical rating scale (NRS) and the questionnaire developed by the author were used in the study. The quality of life of patients oscillated slightly above the moderate level. The highest score was obtained for the "social acceptance" scale (88.24 points), while the lowest result was achieved for the "self-image" scale (40.94 points) and "physical health" scale (46.62 points). There was no statistical relationship between sex, duration of the disease, pharmacological treatment and the quality of life. A significant correlation was found between pain and mental health (p<0.001), physical health (p = 0.004) and social area (p = 0.001). The coexistence of other conditions resulting from the main disease significantly reduced the quality of life in the social area (p = 0.003). Pain and coexistence of conditions resulting from the main disease are significant predicators of the quality of life.

Child's dignity in suffering and death.

The magnitude of unfair, absurd, pointless suffering we cannot accept or understand makes it a phenomenon which defies human logic - especially when it concerns children. The source of suffering of a dying child is pain, fear, failure to satisfy the basic human needs and concern about the parents. It is also heightened by medical procedures, including treatments aimed at preventing the unavoidable death. Such actions, resulting from the fear of death and a lack of acceptance of death as the end of life burdened with suffering, pose a risk to the child's fundamental rights and violate the source of human freedom - one's inalienable dignity. Our priority should be to unconditionally respect the children's rights postulated by Korczak, to ensure that while providing holistic care for a dying child, their dignity is always considered the greatest good.