STATE AND TRAIT ANXIETY IN PARENTS OF HOSPITALIZED CHILDREN
Athanasia Chatzoglou, Christina Dalageorgou, Natassa Fousteri, Ioannis Koutelekos, Vasileios Dedes, Eleni Evagelou, Evangelos Dousis
Wednesday, April 1, 2020
Publication year:
2020
Authors:
- Chatzoglou Athanasia, MSc in Applied Clinical Nursing, University of West Attica, Department of Nursing, Athens, Greece
- Dalageorgou Christina, MSc in Applied Clinical Nursing, University of West Attica, Department of Nursing, Athens, Greece
- Fousteri Natassa, MSc in Applied Clinical Nursing, University of West Attica, Department of Nursing, Athens, Greece
- Koutelekos Ioannis, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Nursing A',Technological Educational Institute of Athens
- Dedes Vasileios, MSc in Applied Clinical Nursing, University of West Attica, Department of Nursing, Athens, Greece
- Evagelou Eleni, Professor of Nursing , TEI of Athens
- Dousis Evangelos, Assistant Professor, Department of Nursing, University of West Attika
Keywords index:
Pages: 102-117
Abstract:
Introduction: Admission of a child to a hospital triggers a number of problems in the daily life of parents, such as uncertainty about the child's health, anxiety about hospital stay or other practical and economic problems that cause emotional burden, such as anxiety. Purpose: To explore levels of state and trait anxiety that experience parents of hospitalized children and the associated factors. Material-Method: This convenience sample consisted of 100 parents of hospitalized children in a public pediatric hospital in Attica during the period October-December 2019. In this cross-sectional descriptive study, data were collected by the completion of State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) which included parents' socio-demographic characteristics and their views. Data were analyzed using SPSS 26.0 while the statistical significance level was p<0.05. Results: Parents experienced moderate to high levels of both state (MT: 48.98 ± 5.98, Median: 49) and trait anxiety (MT: 48.36 ± 5.26, Median: 48). Parents' view that wall paintings in clinical settings reduce children's' anxiety during hospitalization was statistically significantly associated with state anxiety, (p=0.014). Τrait anxiety was statistically significantly associated with parents' view that education on child care would strengthen their role, (p=0.027), the view that their child may encounter with difficulties in social or school environment after hospital discharge, (p=0.034) and with parents' description of themselves as anxious,(p=0.047). Conclusions: Exploring anxiety experienced by parents is important as it may affect the dynamic of family both during hospitalization and after hospital discharge.
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