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BURDEN AND COPING STRATEGIES OF PARENTS OF CHILDREN UNDERGOING SURGERY IN A TERTIARY HOSPITAL IN NIGERIA

Parents are an indispensable part of the
healthcare team, and they are exposed to a
gamut of burden when their children are
hospitalized. The objectives of this study are to
explore the burden experienced by parents of
children undergoing surgery, identify various
coping strategies employed by the parents and
explore the association between burden, sociodemographic characteristics and coping
ability of respondents. Across-sectional study
was conducted among fifty purposively
selected mothers of children undergoing
surgery in the paediatric surgical unit of
Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching
Hospitals Complex, Ile-Ife, Osun State. Data
was collected using a structured questionnaire
measuring the burden and coping strategies of
respondents. Data were analyzed
descriptively and inferentially. Findings
revealed that parents experienced severe
burden (54.0%) which manifested as stressors
such as fear of surgery (80%), financial burden
(77%), disturbed mind when transferring child
to the operating room (76%), separation from
the child (78%), fear of child stop breathing
(66%), seeing the child in pain (72%), and
meeting the daily needs of other children
(58%), In addition, 76% of the respondents
cope moderately with the burden associated
with their children surgery. Identified coping
pattern includes: reading more about child’s
condition (62.0%), talking to people with
previous experience (62.0%), and turning to
God (98.0%). Furthermore, there is a
significant association between religion and
coping (x =7.22, p=.007. The study concludes that parents of children undergoing surgical
procedure experienced severe burden and cope
moderately with the burden, through reading,
talking to people and turning to God.

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