Effect of nurse-led intervention programs based on spiritual care on the resilience and death anxiety in parents of children and adolescents with cancer, a randomized clinical trial.

BACKGROUND

Life-threatening and progressive diseases such as cancer not only affect the lives of adolescents but also significantly impact their parents. Spiritual care for these parents may help them manage psychological challenges, develop resilience, and reduce anxiety related to the potential loss of their children. The present study aimed to determine the impact of a spiritual care program on resilience and death anxiety in parents of children and adolescents with cancer.

METHODS

The present study was a randomized clinical trial. One hundred and four parents of children and adolescents with cancer were selected from a hospital affiliated with the University of Medical Sciences in western Iran from September 2024 to February 2025. They were then randomly assigned to both the intervention group (52 participants) and the control group (52 participants). Parents received training in the intervention group in five 90-minute sessions over 5 days, each session conducted individually. Then these parents were followed up for 5 weeks. Parents completed the death anxiety and resilience questionnaires on the first day and thirty-five days after the intervention. Data analyses were conducted using SPSS version 22.

RESULTS

There was no significant difference in resilience ( = 0.92) and death anxiety ( = 0.95) between parents in both groups before intervention. However, 5 weeks after intervention, a significant increase in resilience and a decrease in death anxiety were observed between the two groups ( < 0.001). Furthermore, there was a statistically significant difference in resilience and death anxiety between before and 5 weeks after intervention in the intervention group ( < 0.001).

CONCLUSION

Spiritual care programs increase resilience and subsequently reduce death anxiety in parents of children and adolescents with cancer. Nursing managers can identify weaknesses in nursing services for these parents and, using spiritual care programs, take steps to increase resilience and reduce death anxiety in these parents.

IRANIAN REGISTRY OF CLINICAL TRIALS

IRCT registration number: IRCT20190703044082N11.

REGISTRATION DATE

15/12/2024.