Parents' Faith and Hope during the Pediatric Palliative Phase and the Association with Long-Term Parental Adjustment

Ivana M M van der Geest, Marry M van den Heuvel-Eibrink, Nette Falkenburg, Erna M C Michiels, Liesbeth van Vliet, Rob Pieters, Anne-Sophie E Darlington

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    24 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    Background: The loss of a child is associated with an increased risk for developing psychological problems. However, studies investigating the impact of parents' faith and hope for a cure during the palliative phase on long-term parental psychological functioning are limited. Objective: The study's objective was to explore the role of faith and hope as a source of coping and indicator of long-term parental adjustment. Methods: Eighty-nine parents of 57 children who died of cancer completed questionnaires retrospectively, exploring faith, hope, and sources of coping, and measuring parents' current level of grief and depression. Results: For 19 parents (21%) faith was very important during the palliative phase. The majority of parents remained hopeful for a meaningful time with their child (n=68, 76%); a pain-free death (n=58, 65%); and a cure (n=30, 34%). Their child (n=70, 79%) was parents' main source of coping. Twelve parents (14%) suffered from traumatic grief, and 22 parents (25%) showed symptoms of depression. Parents' faith was not associated with less long-term traumatic grief (OR=0.86, p=0.51) or symptoms of depression (OR=0.95, p=0.74), and parents' hope for a cure was not related to more long-term traumatic grief (OR=1.07, p=0.71) or symptoms of depression (OR=1.12, p=0.47). Conclusions: Faith was important for a minority of parents and was not associated with less long-term traumatic grief or symptoms of depression. The majority of parents remained hopeful. Hope for a cure was not associated with more long-term traumatic grief or symptoms of depression.

    Original languageEnglish
    Number of pages6
    JournalJournal of Palliative Medicine
    Volume18
    Early online date13 Feb 2015
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 2015

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