Coping Behaviors in Parents of Children with Thalassemia major

Parents of children with thalassemia major, as the main caregivers, encounter numerous challenges in coping with various and complicated problems due to the disease of their children. Although the coping strategies of the parents regarding the illness of their children are of high importance, a few studies have been performed on this subject. Therefore, the present study aimed to determine the coping behaviors of parents of children with thalassemia major.

This cross-sectional study was performed on parents of 103 children with thalassemia major, who referred to the thalassemia clinic of Hazrat-e-Ali Asghar, Zahedan, Iran in 2016. The data were collected using a demographic questionnaire and the coping health inventory for parents (CHIP). The total score and scores of coping behaviors were evaluated in three coping patterns subscales. The mentioned subscales included ‘‘family integration, cooperation, and optimism’’, ‘‘social support, self-esteem, and mental stability’’, and ‘‘medical communication and consultation’’. All the data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and independent t-test by SPSS version 22.

The coping behaviors that were not mostly carried out by mothers and fathers were “I talk to other parents who are in similar conditions and learn from their experiences” (63.1%) and "I talk to the healthcare team” (73.8%). The mean total score of the CHIP was 51.76 ± 24.65 and 54.79 ± 26.41 for mothers and fathers, respectively. There was no significant difference in the mean total scores and the scores of the three coping patterns between the parents.

According to the findings of this study, the parents achieved scores low than the normal scores in all the three coping behaviors subscales. Effective coping behaviors in the parents of children with thalassemia major seem to be highly important. Consequently, appropriate educational-supportive interventions for parents and continuous monitoring are essential for improving the coping behaviors in this group.