Evaluating different stressors among parents with hospitalized children

The pediatric hospital is an environment with a high level of stress for most parents. Parents experience high levels of stress if their children are hospitalized due to the fear for the loss of their child’s life.

The objective of this study was to evaluate stress factors in parents of hospitalized children.

This study was conducted from January to July 2019 at the General Pediatrics Department of Fieri Regional Hospital. The study sample was composed of 200 parents, of which 86 (43.3%) were males and 114 (56.7%) were females. The parents chosen as our sample had their children hospitalized for at least 5 days.

Our results showed that 80% of the sample was stressed out by waiting at the hospital, whereas 42% of them felt stressed also by their child’s oral problems. Parents of hospitalized children (83%) felt stressed about the painful techniques applied to their children. Nearly 65% of them were stressed out by the hospital environment; child's sleep bruxism was considered another stressor by 39% of the sample.

This study claims that parents of hospitalized children experience stress from different stressors such as dental visits, waiting for the diagnosis, and sleep bruxism. There are other factors which do not influence parental stress including residence, divorced parents, and hospital conditions.