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- Title
A Cross-Sectional Assessment of Parental Concerns in the Pediatric Surgery Department during the COVID-19 Pandemic.
- Authors
Gruescu, Ada Claudia Silvana; Popoiu, Calin; Levai, Mihaela Codrina; Tudor, Raluca; Fericean, Roxana Manuela; Rivis, Mircea
- Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted various aspects of healthcare, including pediatric surgery. This study aimed to assess parental concerns and stress levels in pediatric surgery during the COVID-19 pandemic, identify factors associated with increased parental anxiety or concern, and provide recommendations for healthcare providers. A cross-sectional study was conducted in a tertiary pediatric hospital in Timisoara, Romania, involving 174 parents of pediatric patients requiring elective or emergency surgery, with a mean age of 37.6 (25–47) years, out of which 89.1% of respondents were women. Parental concerns were assessed using the Parental Concerns Questionnaire (PCQ), the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), and the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10). Parents of children undergoing emergency surgery (n = 108) reported higher levels on the practical impact domain of the PCQ scale (3.4 vs. 2.2, p < 0.001), emotional impact (2.7 vs. 2.2, p = 0.002), and total PCQ score (9.5 vs. 7.7, p < 0.001) compared to parents of children undergoing elective surgery (n = 66). Parents in the emergent surgery group also reported higher anxiety scores on the HADS questionnaire (7.9 vs. 6.5, p = 0.009) and higher perceived stress and total score on the PSS-10 survey (7.8 vs. 5.6, p = 0.046) (10.5 vs. 9.1, p = 0.047), respectively. A significantly higher proportion of parents in the emergent surgery group were concerned about restricted visitation policies (p = 0.013) and reported delaying or considering delaying their child's surgery due to the pandemic (p = 0.036). The results demonstrate heightened concerns, anxiety, and stress among parents of children undergoing emergency surgery during the COVID-19 pandemic. Healthcare providers should address parental concerns, provide clear communication, and ensure adequate support for families. Recommendations include enhancing information about COVID-19 precautions, reassuring parents about personal protective equipment availability, and facilitating family support within visitation restrictions.
- Subjects
ROMANIA; MENTAL depression risk factors; PARENT attitudes; ELECTIVE surgery; PSYCHOLOGY of parents; CONFIDENCE intervals; CROSS-sectional method; CHILDREN'S hospitals; AGE distribution; ECONOMIC status; COVID-19 vaccines; TERTIARY care; MEDICAL personnel; FISHER exact test; MANN Whitney U Test; MEDICAL emergencies; PATIENTS' families; T-test (Statistics); PEARSON correlation (Statistics); PSYCHOLOGICAL tests; DESCRIPTIVE statistics; CHI-squared test; EMPLOYMENT; DIGESTIVE organ surgery; QUESTIONNAIRES; ANXIETY; EMOTIONS; STATISTICAL sampling; DATA analysis software; LOGISTIC regression analysis; MARITAL status; VACCINATION status; RESIDENTIAL patterns; PSYCHOLOGICAL stress; PEDIATRIC surgery; COVID-19 pandemic; EDUCATIONAL attainment
- Publication
Healthcare (2227-9032), 2023, Vol 11, Issue 9, p1330
- ISSN
2227-9032
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.3390/healthcare11091330