School of Nursing, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, 221004, China.
Affiliated Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, China.
BMC Psychol. 2024 May 23;12(1):289. doi: 10.1186/s40359-024-01798-3.
Illness cognition is an important mediator between psychological and behavioral adjustment and the quality of life for patients and their caregivers. Evidence related to illness cognition among parents of children with leukemia is limited. The purpose of this study is to explore the illness cognition status and associated factors in parents of children with leukemia.
A cross-sectional survey was conducted with the parents of 335 children with leukemia from three general children's hospitals in China from January to December 2022. A parents' version of the illness cognition questionnaire was used to collect data. This included three subscales: helplessness, acceptance, and perceived benefits.
The mean scores of helplessness, acceptance and perceived benefits of parents regarding their children's disease were 15.56 (4.60), 16.25 (4.41), and 19.96 (3.69) respectively. The multiple regression model indicated seven factors associated with the parents' illness cognition (adjusted R [2] ranged from 0.182 to 0.134): four socio-demographic factors (parent's age, role, education level, and family income) and three clinical factors (length of time spent each day caring for the child, the child's age at diagnosis, and the duration of the disease).
This study reports on different levels of illness cognition and associated factors among parents of children with leukemia. The results may help pediatric oncology medical staff identify risk factors for poor psychological adjustment to children's diseases. Parents may benefit from psychological support aimed at improving positive illness cognition.
疾病认知是患者及其照顾者心理和行为调整以及生活质量的重要中介。关于白血病患儿父母疾病认知的证据有限。本研究旨在探讨白血病患儿父母的疾病认知状况及其相关因素。
本研究采用横断面调查的方法，于 2022 年 1 月至 12 月，选取中国 3 家综合儿童医院的 335 名白血病患儿的父母进行调查。采用父母版疾病认知问卷收集数据，该问卷包括无助感、接受度和感知益处 3 个分量表。
父母对子女疾病的无助感、接受度和感知益处的平均得分为 15.56（4.60）、16.25（4.41）和 19.96（3.69）。多元回归模型显示，父母疾病认知与 7 个因素相关（调整后的 R²范围为 0.182 至 0.134）：4 个社会人口学因素（父母年龄、角色、受教育程度和家庭收入）和 3 个临床因素（每天照顾孩子的时间、孩子的诊断年龄和疾病持续时间）。
本研究报告了白血病患儿父母不同水平的疾病认知及其相关因素。研究结果有助于儿科肿瘤医护人员识别儿童疾病不良心理调整的风险因素。父母可能受益于旨在改善积极疾病认知的心理支持。
