Effect of Nursing Intervention on Stressors and Coping Patterns of Children Suffering from Cancer and their Mothers

Background: Children suffering from cancer and their mother are facing many stressors
resulting from cancer and its treatment, these stressors are physical, psychological, social and
financial. Nurses play a vital role in caring and educating those children and their mothers to
improve their knowledge, alleviate their stressors and promote their positive coping patterns
toward cancer and its treatment. Aim: The aim of the study was to study the effect of nursing
intervention on stressors and coping patterns of children suffering from cancer and their mothers.
Subject and methods: Design: A quasi-experimental design. Sample: A purposeful study
subject of 150 children suffering from cancer and their accompanying mothers, which divided
randomly into two equal matched groups' the study and control groups. Setting: The study was
conducted at inpatient Pediatrics Medical Departments and Outpatient Oncology Clinics of
Children's Hospital affiliated to Ain Shams University Hospitals over 6 months. Tools for data
collection: The study involved a pre designed interviewing questionnaire to assess characteristics
and knowledge of cancer children and their mothers, Stressors' Scale by Miles and Brunsser,
1998 to assess stressors of the studied subjects and Coping Patterns Scale by Jalowiec and
Powers, 1991 to assess their coping patterns in two phases (pre, post ) for both groups. Results:
of the study revealed that, nursing intervention had a positive impact on the studied subjects'
knowledge, decreased levels of stressors and promoted positive coping patterns toward stressors
related to cancer. Conclusion: Children suffering from cancer and their mother are facing many
stressors resulting from cancer and its long lasting consequences and prolonged continuous
treatment. These stressors include all aspects of life as physical, psychological, social and
financial that increases the burden imposed on the affected children and their mothers. Based on
results of the current study, it was concluded that, nursing intervention had a positive impact on
the studied subjects' knowledge regarding cancer, stressors and coping, lowered the studied
subjects' levels of stressors and promoted their positive coping patterns toward stressors related to
cancer. Recommendations: The study recommended that, health education programs must be
prepared, regularly presented and directed toward children suffering from cancer and their
accompanying mothers to teach and help them manage and cope with cancer treatment and its
related side effects and stressors..