Parental stress in the relationship with children affected by chronic hematological disease.

BACKGROUND

Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) and Autoimmune Trombocytopenic Purpura (AITP) are pediatric diseases which frequently are associated with cognitive, social and emotional complications and can lead caregivers to important consequences. The aim of this study was to examine the potential psychologic parental distress and the plausible interference with suffering of their children.

METHODS

We recruited 39 parents of 44 pediatric patients and divided them into two groups: patients affected by SCD and patients affected by AITP. Parenting Stress Index Short-form (PSI-SF) was proposed to the parents. We investigated the statistical correlations between the PSI-SF variables of the test, the patients scores at the cognitive test, the patients age, and the scores obtained at the mood test.

RESULTS

The analysis of the parents scores obtained by the test reported that the stress levels of the parents of children affected by SCD are higher than those the other group. The analysis of the data showed that 72% of the patients score was average in the cognitive test, whereas 28% of them obtained a score below average; in the mood assessment tests: 35% of the patients reported elevated scores in the depression subscale; 21% showed an elevated score in the anxiety subscale.

CONCLUSIONS

The data obtained provide us useful indications about pattern of behaviour between the parents and the children affected by chronic haematological diseases. The differences in the perception of the parental distress were associated with children's disease, social problems increased parental distress, which was correlated with depression symptoms of the children.