Emotional distress of mothers of hospitalized children.

Compared 20 mothers of children hospitalized on a pediatric intensive care unit (PICU), 20 mothers of children hospitalized on a general pediatric medical surgical unit, and 20 mothers of nonhospitalized ill children on standardized measures of anxiety and negative moods. The mothers of children admitted to the PICU experienced greater state anxiety, depression, confusion, and anger than the other mothers. There were no differences between the mothers of children admitted to the general pediatric floor and mothers of nonhospitalized ill children. Maternal age, family stress, number of prior hospitalizations of the ill child, and the mother's rating of the severity of her child's illness were predictive of emotional distress. Results indicate that hospitalization of a mildly or moderately ill child per se may not necessarily increase maternal emotional distress.