Family adaptation during a pediatric intensive care hospitalization.

The purpose of this study was to investigate characteristics of families, specifically their adaptability, cohesion, and coping mechanisms during a child's intensive care hospitalization. The sample consisted of 30 families with children hospitalized in a pediatric intensive care unit. The Family Adaptability and Cohesion Evaluation Scales (FACES-III) and the Family Crisis-Oriented Personal Evaluation Scales (F-COPES) were used to collect data. Results indicate that the families were, as a whole, healthy in their levels of functioning; their dimensions of adaptability and cohesion were balanced. The families studied utilized a variety of coping mechanisms, and specific characteristics were identified that enabled the families to adjust to the child's intensive care hospitalization.