Family and Caregiving Stains as Related to Pediatric Leukemia
Disciplines
Critical Care Nursing | Pediatric Nursing
Abstract (300 words maximum)
Background: Childhood cancer takes a mental toll on not only the pediatric patient, but on the entire family’s mental, physical, emotional, and social health states as well. When a child is diagnosed with cancer, the family must learn to adjust to their new life, learn about their child’s diagnosis, and adapt to positive coping mechanisms to best salvage their healthy lifestyle practices. Objective: Our aim was to explore research in regards to positive vs. negative coping strategies to begin to find the correlation between coping and caregiver’s health states and overall quality of life. Methods: Our systematic literature review was carried out by following the recommended guidelines of a PICOT question formation, PRISMA guidelines, and search strategies methods. After reviewing five peer reviewed journal articles with mixed evidence type strategies found on PubMed and CINAHL, it was found that positive coping mechanisms had a lasting positive affect on parents and caregivers of children with a cancer diagnosis and treatment plan. Conclusion: Our findings indicated that there is an array of interventions, including increased education and available resources, that can take place to overcome the emotional and mental distress that comes along with a chronic illness. Keywords: Pediatrics, leukemia, family strains, mental health, coping mechanisms, positive coping, family anxiety, family stress, unhealthy coping, family quality of life
Academic department under which the project should be listed
WCHHS - Nursing
Primary Investigator (PI) Name
Dr Ramos
Additional Faculty
Dr Shackleford, Nursing, jshackle@kennesaw.edu
Family and Caregiving Stains as Related to Pediatric Leukemia
Background: Childhood cancer takes a mental toll on not only the pediatric patient, but on the entire family’s mental, physical, emotional, and social health states as well. When a child is diagnosed with cancer, the family must learn to adjust to their new life, learn about their child’s diagnosis, and adapt to positive coping mechanisms to best salvage their healthy lifestyle practices. Objective: Our aim was to explore research in regards to positive vs. negative coping strategies to begin to find the correlation between coping and caregiver’s health states and overall quality of life. Methods: Our systematic literature review was carried out by following the recommended guidelines of a PICOT question formation, PRISMA guidelines, and search strategies methods. After reviewing five peer reviewed journal articles with mixed evidence type strategies found on PubMed and CINAHL, it was found that positive coping mechanisms had a lasting positive affect on parents and caregivers of children with a cancer diagnosis and treatment plan. Conclusion: Our findings indicated that there is an array of interventions, including increased education and available resources, that can take place to overcome the emotional and mental distress that comes along with a chronic illness. Keywords: Pediatrics, leukemia, family strains, mental health, coping mechanisms, positive coping, family anxiety, family stress, unhealthy coping, family quality of life