The Stress and Coping in Mothers of Children with Cancer

일 대학병원 암환아 어머니의 스트레스와 대처

Purpose: The present study was to identify the levels of stress and coping and their relationship in mothers of children with cancer. Methods: A total of 124 mothers were recruited from a university hospital from June 1, to August 31, 2004. Parental Stress Scale developed by Miles and Carter (1983), and the Coping Behavior Patterns developed by McCubbin (1979) were used. Data were analyzed using SAS PC+ 8.0 program. Results: The mean score for the stress level in the mothers of the children with cancer was 195.6 from the range of 0-250. The mean score for the level of coping stress by the mothers of children with cancer was 121.8 from the range of 0-165. The level of coping stress was particularly high when the relationship with their husband was good, and when they felt hope for the children's health status. Conclusions: The most stressful element to the mothers of the children with cancer was the 'treatment and the nursing process for the children.' The frequently used coping methods were 'communication with other parents in the same situation' and 'consultation with the expert.'