Factors predicting parent participation in caring for hospitalized children with chronic diseases

Abstract

Chronic diseases in children is a major worldwide health problem that requires longer hospitalization. Children with chronic diseases generally are suffering from the disease and its treatment. Most care for children with chronic diseases will be provided at home by family members, particularly by their parents. This descriptive correlational predictive study aimed to examine factors predicting parent participation in caring for hospitalized children with chronic diseases. The factors being investigated consisted of parents’ perceived self-efficacy in caring of their hospitalized child, information support from health care providers, communication between parents and nurses, the attitude of nurses toward parent participation, and nurse’s knowledge of parent participation. Schepp’s concept of parent participation (1995) was used to guide the study. The participants consisted of 234 parents of the children with chronic diseases and 125 nurses in four tertiary hospitals in central Thailand. Data were collected using questionnaires including 1) the Parent Participation Scale (PPS), 2) the Maternal Perceived Self-efficacy Scale (MPSS), 3) the Information Support Scale (ISS), 4) the Health Communication Assessment Tool (HCAT), 5) Families’ Importance in Nursing Care-Nurses Attitudes (FINC-NA), and 6) Nurse’s knowledge of Parent Participation Scale (NPPS) developed by the researcher. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Spearman-rank correlation, and ordinal logistic regression. The results of study 1. Parent participation was at high level. When considering each aspect of care, participation in routine care, technical care and information sharing were at high level, while decision-making was at a moderate level. The parents’ perceived self-efficacy in caring for hospitalized child, information support from health care providers, and communication between parents and nurses were at a high level. For nurses, attitude towards parent participation and knowledge of parent participation were at high level. 2. There was a significantly moderately positive relationship between parent participation in caring for hospitalized children with chronic diseases and perceived self efficacy in caring of hospitalized child (r = .39, p < .01), information support from health care providers (r = .34, p < .01), and communication between parents and nurse (r = .39, p < .01). 3. Parents’ perceived self-efficacy in caring of hospitalized child was the only significant predictor of parent participation in caring for hospitalized children with chronic diseases accounting for 72.65% of the parent participation in caring for hospitalized children with chronic diseases (p < .001). The results from this study can be used as the preliminary data for developing an effective intervention program for enhancing parent participation in caring for hospitalized children with chronic diseases.