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.