Parental stress as the mediator between symptom burden and the quality of life of Chinese children with cancer

Abstract

Background: Because of their cancer and treatment adverse effects, most pediatric oncology patients will experience 1 or more symptoms at one time that can seriously affect their quality of life. Because these children are attached to parents, their symptom burden directly influences the parental stress level and parental interpretations of their children’s quality of life. Objective: The aim of this study was to examine the association between child-reported symptom burden and the pediatric quality of life reported by children with cancer and their parents, and whether parental perceived stress mediates these relationships. Methods: In a cross-sectional design, convenience sampling was used to recruit 80 parent-child dyads. Advanced statistical methods were adopted to analyze the mediating effects of parental stress between children’s symptom burden and their quality of life. Results: The results revealed that parental stress was the mediator in the relationship between child-reported symptom burden and children’s quality of life reported by parents. The results also showed that parental stress was not a mediator in the relationship between child-reported symptom burden and their quality of life. This underscored the differences in interpretations of quality of life reported by children and their parents. Conclusion: Children’s symptom burden is an important factor in predicting parental stress level and the quality of life reported by the children. Children’s voice should be incorporated whenever possible. Implications for Practice: The knowledge gained from this study will facilitate intervention development to enhance parents’ abilities in stress management and symptom management for their children with the support of the nursing profession.