Factors Related to Uncertainty in Illness Among Caregivers of Children with Seizures
Keywords:
Related factor, Uncertainty in illness, Caregiver, Children with seizureAbstract
Caregivers of children with seizures may experience uncertainty in illness. This correlational descriptive study aimed to describe the uncertainty, and factors related to uncertainty in illness among caregivers of children with seizures. The sample consisted of 85 caregivers of children with seizures aged 1 month to 15 years at the outpatient department, Maharaj Nakorn Chiang Mai Hospital between July and August 2019, who met the eligibility criteria. The research instruments included; the Parent Perception of Uncertainty in Illness Scale, the Knowledge about Convulsion Questionnaire, the Social Support Scale (The reliability of the instruments were .87, .80, and .81 respectively), and the Severity of the Illness Questionnaire. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Pearson’s product moment correlation coefficient, and Spearman’s rank-order coefficient.
The study results revealed that:
- Overall, caregivers of children with seizures had a moderate level of uncertainty about regarding their children’s illness ( = 87.86, SD =12.32), as well as in each dimension of uncertainty; Ambiguity about the illness state ( = 37.93, SD = 5.95); lack of clarity about the illness state (= 24.83, SD = 5.32); lack of information about an illness, its treatment and management ( = 15.06, SD =2.35); and unpredictability of the course of the illness course and prognosis ( = 10.07, SD =2.80).
- There were significant low negative relationships between uncertainty dimension 2 (lack of clarity about the state of the illness) with knowledge about convulsions and social support (r = - 0.21, p < .05 and r = - 0.29, p < .01 respectively). There were significant moderate negative relationships between social support and uncertainty overall, as well as between social support and uncertainty dimension 1 (ambiguity concerning the state of the illness), (r = - 0.36, p < .01 and r = - 0.38, p < .01 respectively).
The results of this study provide basic information that nurses should evaluate and reduce uncertainty levels in Illness among caregivers of children with seizures, including providing seizures knowledge and social support for caregivers in order to help them feel less uncertain in the illness.
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