Page 48 - Petelin, Ana. 2020. Ed. Zdravje delovno aktivne populacije / Health of the Working-Age Population. Proceedings. Koper: University of Primorska Press.
P. 48
avje delovno aktivne populacije | health of the working-age population 46 Interpersonal relationships
A long-term hospital stay with an ill child has consequences on interpersonal
relationships. According to the parents’ interviews from A3 study, a long-term
stay gives a feeling of unhappiness and isolation from the world outside the
hospital. Callery (1997) declared the mothers’ sense of isolation and the lack of
support they were able to draw on from immediate family. Eyigor et al. (2011),
states that the fear of the child’s death, the length of the treatments, treat-
ment-related drawbacks, distance from the caregiver’s home to the hospital, fi-
nancial problems, and negative effects on family relations tend to cause family
psychosocial problems. Still, by being united as a family, parents felt strong-
er during their time of admittance. Spouses, relatives, and siblings served as a
support system that help the parents as well as the ill child both practically and
emotionally. Similarly, A2 shows that family support and positive emotional
exchanges affect both the mother’s and child’s emotions. Also, a good parent–
child relationship was associated with better outcomes related to the child’s
psychological functioning and family adaptation.
When considering coping strategies to deal with the hospitalization and
the decay of relationships, a coping pattern in which parents maintain social
activities and relationships, self-esteem, and psychological stability was found
to have a significant protective role i n p arental a daptation to c hildhood d is-
ease, as shown by A3 study. The same coping pattern was found by the authors
of A4 study, as all the participants described the importance of living their life
as “normally” as possible including activities that reminded them that life had
other meanings despite the child’s disease, which was deemed as helpful to re-
lax. Those having relatives and spouses bringing food so they could eat togeth-
er, described that as creating a more home-like environment, which enabled
the family functioning; however, since hospital wards only allow one parent
during nighttime, the family members got separated which was described as
difficult. Also the results of a study lead by Mason (1978) suggests that recur-
rently fathers are lead to believe, by the hospital’s policy, that they are not sup-
posed to be at the child’s bedside and somehow blame themselves for not pro-
tecting the child. Fortunately, parents are becoming more aware of their rights,
as well as of the value to the child of their visiting freely or rooming-in. The A3
study enhances that maintaining family integration/strength and optimistic
outlook for the situation was perceived as being the most helpful coping strat-
egy.
Parents at a hospital, inevitably connected with other parents and the
medical staff. A4 study reveals that, even though all the parents wanted sepa-
rate rooms, some of them mentioned positive aspects with having other fam-
ilies’ sharing rooms, such as sharing the same experience and giving one an-
other advice, becoming thereby significant partners in the treatment team, as
reported by Mason (1978). By being on the “same boat”, parents meant that
their support and recommendations were invaluable. Also, talking with the
health professional about concerns was among the top 10 most helpful cop-
A long-term hospital stay with an ill child has consequences on interpersonal
relationships. According to the parents’ interviews from A3 study, a long-term
stay gives a feeling of unhappiness and isolation from the world outside the
hospital. Callery (1997) declared the mothers’ sense of isolation and the lack of
support they were able to draw on from immediate family. Eyigor et al. (2011),
states that the fear of the child’s death, the length of the treatments, treat-
ment-related drawbacks, distance from the caregiver’s home to the hospital, fi-
nancial problems, and negative effects on family relations tend to cause family
psychosocial problems. Still, by being united as a family, parents felt strong-
er during their time of admittance. Spouses, relatives, and siblings served as a
support system that help the parents as well as the ill child both practically and
emotionally. Similarly, A2 shows that family support and positive emotional
exchanges affect both the mother’s and child’s emotions. Also, a good parent–
child relationship was associated with better outcomes related to the child’s
psychological functioning and family adaptation.
When considering coping strategies to deal with the hospitalization and
the decay of relationships, a coping pattern in which parents maintain social
activities and relationships, self-esteem, and psychological stability was found
to have a significant protective role i n p arental a daptation to c hildhood d is-
ease, as shown by A3 study. The same coping pattern was found by the authors
of A4 study, as all the participants described the importance of living their life
as “normally” as possible including activities that reminded them that life had
other meanings despite the child’s disease, which was deemed as helpful to re-
lax. Those having relatives and spouses bringing food so they could eat togeth-
er, described that as creating a more home-like environment, which enabled
the family functioning; however, since hospital wards only allow one parent
during nighttime, the family members got separated which was described as
difficult. Also the results of a study lead by Mason (1978) suggests that recur-
rently fathers are lead to believe, by the hospital’s policy, that they are not sup-
posed to be at the child’s bedside and somehow blame themselves for not pro-
tecting the child. Fortunately, parents are becoming more aware of their rights,
as well as of the value to the child of their visiting freely or rooming-in. The A3
study enhances that maintaining family integration/strength and optimistic
outlook for the situation was perceived as being the most helpful coping strat-
egy.
Parents at a hospital, inevitably connected with other parents and the
medical staff. A4 study reveals that, even though all the parents wanted sepa-
rate rooms, some of them mentioned positive aspects with having other fam-
ilies’ sharing rooms, such as sharing the same experience and giving one an-
other advice, becoming thereby significant partners in the treatment team, as
reported by Mason (1978). By being on the “same boat”, parents meant that
their support and recommendations were invaluable. Also, talking with the
health professional about concerns was among the top 10 most helpful cop-
