PARENTAL STRESS IN
PAEDIATRIC INTENSIVE CARE AND HIGH DEPENDENCY UNIT
Nizam MB, Norzila MZ
Jabatan Pediatrik,
Institut Pediatrik, Hospital Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Objective: Admission of a child
into intensive care is a major source of stress for parents. A cross
sectional study was conducted to identify sources of stress and factors
that would influenced their stress responses.
Methods: Using the Parental
Stressor Scale: Paediatric Intensive Care Unit (PSS: PICU), one hundred and
twelve parents were requested to answer twice either in Malay or English
version a week apart.
Results: Ninety-four (83.9%) and
seventy-one (75.3%) parents responded to the first and second
administration of questionnaire respectively. Fifty-six respondents (56.6%) were mothers. The mean age
of parents were 31.7
(SD
6.0) years. Sixty-three parents (67%) had their children admitted into PICU
and thirty-two (34%) had previous admissions into intensive care unit.
Alteration in parental roles (2.84, SD 0.79), child’s behaviour and
emotional responses (3.08, SD 3.08) and sights and sounds (3.04, SD 1.15)
in the intensive care were identified as major sources of stress among
Malaysian parents.
Conclusion: Alteration in parental
roles was the most stressful source of stress among Malaysian parents.