The impact of parental psychological distress on child behavior issues in hospitalized children

Abstract

Child hospitalization has a negative impact on both children and parents’ psychological well-being. Although prior studies in the general context demonstrated a favorable link between parental psychological distress and child behavior problems, research in the hospital situation was restricted. The purpose of this study was to see if parental psychological distress has an effect on child behavior problems in hospitalized children in Indonesia. This cross-sectional study included 156 parents who were recruited from four pediatric wards using a convenience sampling method between August 17 and December 25, 2020. The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale and the Child Behavior Checklist 1.5-5 and 6-18 were utilized. Parental anxiety was found to be a significant predictor of increased total behavior issue, internalizing behavior, externalizing behavior, anxious/ depressed, somatic complaints, and violent conduct in hospitalized children. Parental depression, on the other hand, was not related with any of the child behavior issue syndrome measures. The findings imply that identifying and treating parent anxiety early on is critical for preventing or reducing child behavior problems during hospitalization.