Explanatory Model of Resilience in Pediatric Burn Survivors:

The association of stress perception on anxiety, depression and sleep quality in parents of children with burns: The moderating effect of social support

OBJECTIVE

Few studies have explored the mental health status of parents of children with burns and the moderating effect of social support on them.

METHODS

A survey was performed with parents of 112 burn-injured children at a burn center in China. Their perceived stress, anxiety, depression, sleep quality, and social support were measured by the Chinese Perceived Stress Scale, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, and Perceived Social Support Scale.

RESULTS

➀ The prevalence of anxiety (46.43%), depression (52.67%) and poor sleep quality (43.75%) of parents indicated that they experienced emotional and sleep disorders;➁ The perceived stress was positively correlated with sleep quality, anxiety and depression（P＜0.01), and negatively correlated with perceived social support (p＜0.05); ➂ Social support had a significant moderating effect on their perceived stress and anxiety, depression, but not on their sleep quality. With high social support, parental perceived stress had a significant positive association on anxiety and depression, while with low perceived social support, parental perceived stress had no significant association on anxiety and depression.

CONCLUSION

Parents of burned children had increased stress, obvious symptoms of anxiety and depression, and poor sleep quality. Social support had a significant buffering effect on them under low pressure, and high pressure will hinder the buffering effect of social support on stress. Therefore, the ideal services to improve mental health should be provided for them to face different levels of stress.

Portuguese Validation of the TAPQoL: A Health-Related Quality of Life Instrument for Children Aged 0-6 Years

In Portugal, there are few generic and specific instruments to assess health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in children, especially those of preschool age. This study aimed to adapt and validate the Portuguese version of the Preschool Children Quality of Life Questionnaire (TAPQoL) in a community and clinical sample of children aged 0-6 years. The parents of 409 healthy children and 137 children undergoing treatment for burns and acute lymphoblastic leukemia completed the TAPQoL and were assessed on psychological morbidity and family functioning. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were performed, as well as analysis of the psychometric properties as shown by internal consistency measures, convergent validity, and average variance extracted. Confirmatory factor analysis confirmed an 11-factor structure with good psychometric properties. The current version of the TAPQoL is a valid and reliable instrument for assessing HRQoL in Portuguese preschool children in community and clinical settings.

Use of Symptom Checklist 90 for exploring psychological factors among the parents of children hospitalized for burn injuries in Shanghai: a cross-sectional study

To better improve the conditions for the recovery of children with burn injuries, timely understanding of the psychological status of parents is important. A cross-sectional survey on it using convenience sampling was conducted at two hospitals. Besides basic information, the Symptom Checklist 90, Eysenck Personality Questionnaire, Social Support Rate Scale, and Simplified Coping Style Questionnaire were used, and the key factors were identified via multivariate linear regression analysis and path analysis. A total of 196 guardians were recruited, 180 valid and completed questionnaires were obtained, including 58 men (32.2%) and 122 women (67.8%), and their average age was 30.3 years (standard deviation = 7.6). Of these, 151 participants (83.9%) were parents. Multivariate analysis revealed that children's age, parent gender, P score, negative coping style, and religion were the main factors that affected parents' psychology. Moreover, path analysis showed that P score, children's age, and negative coping style had the greatest impact on the total average score. These results suggest that during hospitalization, the following three factors should be focused on: older children, higher parental psychoticism, and increased negative coping style.

Coping in Pediatric Burn Survivors and Its Relation to Social Functioning and Self-Concept

Pediatric burn survivors experience increased risk for bullying, stigmatization, body image concerns, and problematic social functioning. Although coping behaviors are associated with engagement in social supports and positive self-concept in multiple pediatric illness populations, their relation has not been examined in pediatric burns. This study examined coping in relation to social functioning and self-concept in 51 pediatric burn survivors aged 7–17years (M=12.54; SD=2.65). Survivors and their caregivers completed the Child Coping Strategies Checklist (CCSC; youth report); the Burn Injury Social Questionnaire (BISQ; parent and youth report); and the Piers-Harris Children’s Self-Concept Scale-2 (PH-2; youth report). Associations between coping, social functioning, self-concept, demographic features, and burn injury characteristics were examined via bivariate correlations. Hierarchical linear regressions examined whether coping strategies predicted social functioning and youth self-concept beyond burn injury and demographic variables. Social functioning concerns were positively correlated with total body surface area (TBSA; r=0.63 and 0.40, respectively). TBSA was the only significant predictor of parent-reported social concerns (β=0.65, p<0.001). Greater distraction coping predicted fewer youth-reported social concerns (β=−0.39, p=0.01). Greater active coping (B=0.67, p=0.002) and lower avoidance coping (B=−0.36, p=0.03) predicted better youth-reported self-concept. This study advances our understanding of coping as potentially protective for psychosocial adjustment. Clinicians working with child burn survivors should incorporate active coping interventions into treatment. Further research including larger and more diverse samples is needed to understand the role of coping approaches on psychological adjustment during burn healing.

The psychological impact of paediatric burn injuries: a systematic review

OBJECTIVE

To review and synthesise qualitative literature regarding the psychological outcomes following paediatric burn injuries, and to determine if children and adolescents who experience a burn injury have elevated risk of psychopathology following the injury.

DESIGN

Systematic review of quantitative and qualitative studies.

DATA SOURCES

Informit health, Medline, Embase, and PsycINFO were searched from January 2010 to December 2020.

DATA EXTRACTION AND SYNTHESIS

Two reviewers screened articles, and one reviewer extracted data (with cross-checking from another reviewer) from the included studies and assessed quality using an established tool. Narrative synthesis was used to synthesise the findings from the quantitative studies, and thematic synthesis was used to synthesise the findings of included qualitative studies.

RESULTS

Searches yielded 1240 unique titles, with 130 retained for full-text screening. Forty-five studies from 17 countries were included. The psychological outcomes included in the studies were mental health diagnoses, medication for mental illness, depression, anxiety, stress, fear, post-traumatic stress, post-traumatic growth, emotional issues, self-harm, self-esteem, self-concept, stigmatisation, quality of life, level of disability, resilience, coping, and suicidality.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings highlight paediatric burn patients as a particularly vulnerable population following a burn injury. Studies suggest elevated anxiety and traumatic stress symptoms, and higher rates of psychopathology in the long-term. Further research is recommended to determine the psychological outcomes in the other mental health domains highlighted in this review, as findings were mixed. Clinical care teams responsible for the aftercare of burn patients should involve psychological support for the children and families to improve outcomes.

Resilience and its correlates among first ischemic stroke survivors at acute stage of hospitalization from a tertiary hospital in China：a cross-sectional study

Objectives: To measure the resilience of elderly patients with first ischemic stroke in mainland China and to identify variables that may be correlated with resilience at the acute stage of hospitalization.Methods: A cross-sectional survey was carried out in departments of neurology of two tertiary hospitals, where a convenience sample of one hundred and forty-seven elderly patients with first ischemic stroke voluntarily participated in our study. Resilience was assessed using the Chinese version of Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale with three dimensions (tenacity, strength, and optimism). The General Self-Efficacy Scale and Medical Coping Modes Questionnaire were applied to evaluate the respondents' general self-efficacy and coping style. Functional independency was also measured using the Functional Independency Measure.Results: The mean score of the 147 respondents' resilience was 62.51 ± 14.69. Together, general self-efficacy, resignation, confrontation, per capital monthly income, and being main source of family income explained 68.1% of the variance in resilience. General self-efficacy, resignation, and confrontation were the strongest explanatory factors. Specifically, 63.4% of the variance in tenacity was explained for general self-efficacy, resignation, being main source of family income, surgical history, and per capital monthly income. 63.2% of the variance in strength was ascribed to general self-efficacy, resignation, per capital monthly income and avoidance. 32.5% of the variance in optimism was attributed to general self-efficacy, religion, and resignation.Conclusion: General self-efficacy and coping style may be implied orientation in enhancing resilience of elderly patients with first ischemic stroke at acute hospitalization. Moreover, economic status may predict level of resilience.HighlightsResilience was measured in 147 older first-episode ischemic stroke survivors at acute hospitalization.General-efficacy was the strongest predictor of resilience.Resilience was significantly influenced by resignation.Coping strategy should be emphasized early after stroke.

A Study of the Relationship Among Burned Patients' Resilience and Self-Efficacy and Their Quality of Life

INTRODUCTION

Among the most common causes of death and disabilities worldwide, burn injuries can affect all aspects of the life quality of the burned patients. Despite the apparent impacts of resilience and self-efficacy on the quality of life, few studies have addressed the relationship among these variables in burned patients. Accordingly, the present study aimed to investigate the relationship among burned patients' resilience and self-efficacy and their quality of life.

METHODS

The present study was a descriptive, cross-sectional research conducted on 305 burned patients hospitalized in the largest burns hospital in the south-east of Iran. In this regard, the subjects were selected based on total population sampling. Data were collected using a questionnaire consisting of four sections as follows: a demographic survey, Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC), Lev Self-efficacy Scale, and Burn Specific Health Scale-Brief. The collected data were then analyzed using descriptive tests, Pearson correlation, and linear regression at a significance level of P<0.05 in SPSS 22.

RESULTS

The results show that there were significant positive correlations between the patients' resilience and self-efficacy (P<0.001, r=0.31), resilience and quality of life (P<0.001, r=0.58), and self-efficacy and quality of life (P<0.001, r=0.63).

CONCLUSION

It appears that burned patients' self-confidence and ability in adjusting with their conditions after injury are correlated with their quality of life. Thus, it is recommended that healthcare policymakers adopt some strategies to improve resilience and self-efficacy in burned patients for enabling them to effectively cope with the stressful conditions that they face as a result of their injuries.

Resilience among stroke survivors: A cohort study of the first 6 months

AIMS

To explore (a) resilience among patients over the first 6 months following a first ischaemic stroke; (b) factors associated with resilience at hospitalization, 1, 3, and 6 months postdischarge; (c) baseline predictors of resilience at 6 months postdischarge.

DESIGN

a cohort study.

METHODS

From February 2017-January 2018, 217 patients presenting at two hospitals with a first ischaemic stroke were recruited. Their resilience, medical coping styles, general self-efficacy, functional independency, socio-demographic, and clinical data were assessed while they were still in hospital (baseline) and at 1, 3, and 6 months after discharge.

RESULTS

Resilience among stroke patients decreased significantly 1 month after hospital discharge and remained stable. Predictors of resilience were as follows: self-efficacy and resignation at baseline; number of children, functional independency, general self-efficacy, and resignation at 1 month; and religion, resignation, self-efficacy, confrontation at 3 months and 6 months. The baseline factors that predicted resilience at 6 months were income level, religion, stroke severity at discharge, self-efficacy, and resignation.

CONCLUSION

Stroke survivors experienced a significant decrease in resilience from hospitalization until 1-month postdischarge. Factors contributing to resilience after a stroke varied across time. Self-efficacy and coping styles were particularly important and contributed to long-term resilience.

IMPACT

Understanding resilience among stroke survivors is needed to inform the development of interventions to enhance the psychological recovery of survivors. The levels of resilience among stroke survivors were low compared with those in the normal older population. Nurses should provide greater psychological support during hospitalization to stroke survivors and especially to those with lower income, higher stroke severity at discharge, no religion, lower self-efficacy, or who use resignation as a coping strategy as those survivors may have lower resilience 6 months later. Future studies are needed to test interventions designed to change or modify stroke survivors' coping styles and promote self-efficacy, thereby enhancing higher resilience.

The Process of Developing Resilience in Patients With Burn Injuries

BACKGROUND

Patients with burn injuries resulting in visible disabilities may face negative emotional experiences during rehabilitation. Understanding the development of resilience in these patients may help those who are seeking methods to better adapt to their new situation.

PURPOSE

This study aimed to explore the development of resilience in patients with burns during their convalescence.

METHODS

Ten patients with burn injuries who were convalescing in a general hospital in China were recruited and enrolled as participants. Data were collected using recorded, semistructured in-depth interviews and analyzed following the principles of grounded theory.

RESULTS

The development of resilience in patients with burns included five stages of "black hole," "introspection," "integration," "practice," and "growth." Both internal and external protective factors were identified. The internal protective factors included hope, sincerity, will, belief, and curiosity, and the external protective factor was mutual relationships that reflected the qualities of caring, support, sharing, commitment, and intimacy.

CONCLUSIONS

Resilience was achieved gradually over several progressive steps through the five stages (black hole, introspection, integration, practice, and growth). The results of this research may provide insights and support to patients who seek to improve their adaptation to new situations.

Resilience in children and their parents enduring pediatric medical traumatic stress

Due to the general lack of familiarity with the concept in the medical field, resilience is rarely considered in pediatric medical traumas. Resilience is an ability that enables recovery after adversities such as traumas, surgeries, serious health problems, or social issues. Stress from medical traumas encompasses both the psychological and physical responses of children and their families. Lack of resilience in children with medical traumatic stress may contribute to poor adjustment, slow recovery, disruptive behaviors, and psychiatric disorders. Furthermore, persistent parental distress increases the child's risk of low resilience. Consequently, these patients and their parents require early identification. This is achievable using a common stress measure such as the Perceived Stress Scale. Moreover, health care providers can screen patients' risks for low resilience, which include few social contacts, poor family functioning, and low cohesion among family members. Findings from the stress scale and screened risks could indicate the need for additional psychosocial support at the time of diagnosis of a serious illness, soon after injuries, and before and after operations. Such interventions can include decreasing distress, counseling children and their parents, and enabling strong connections to health care providers. Health care providers can help parents to minimize distress and adjust to their child's illness, thereby supporting the child's resilience, adjustment, and recovery.

A Correlational Study of Acute Stress and Resilience Among Hospitalized Burn Victims Following the Taiwan Formosa Fun Coast Explosion

Although the survival rate of burn patients in the Formosa Fun Coast Explosion disaster increased significantly, for patients facing long-term rehabilitation, there remained great stress. Therefore, the aim of this study was to explore the predictors of resilience among burn patients in this major disaster. We conducted a cross-sectional, descriptive study in a medical center in northern Taiwan, with a total of 30 burn patients enrolled. Patients' demographics were collected, and the Resilience Scale and Perceived Stress Scale were administered. Multivariate statistical analysis by stepwise and linear regression was used to test these predictors of resilience. The results showed that perceived stress was the key predictor of resilience in the stepwise regression analysis and by adjusting variables including stress level, gender, and education level. These results indicate that the stress level of burn patients should be determined first to provide more targeted methods for reducing stress and improving resilience.