title: Parents' self-identified stressors and coping strategies during adolescents' spinal surgery experiences.
abstract: Spinal fusion surgery for idiopathic scoliosis during adolescence is a tremendous stressor for parents. This study investigated parents' pre- and postoperative stressors and their coping strategies. Ninety-two parents identified their predominant stressor and completed the Ways of Coping Questionnaire during their adolescent's preoperative clinic visit and 77 completed this procedure 4 days postoperatively. Results showed that primary stressors were parental role loss (28.26%), possibility of poor surgical outcomes (28.26%), and uncertainty about successful recovery (27.17%) preoperatively, and concerns about pain (32.47%) and parental role loss (32.47%) postoperatively. The greatest increase from pre- to postoperative periods occurred in concerns about pain. Parents used both emotion-focused and problem-focused coping strategies with significant increases postoperatively in confrontive coping, planful problem solving, and positive reappraisal and significant decreases in self-control and seeking social support. Providers should target interventions to alleviate stress and bolster coping for parents.
authors.affiliation: Vanderbilt University School of Nursing, Nashville, TN 37240, USA.
authors.forename: Michele H
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Salisbury
authors.forename: Lynda L
authors.initials: LL
authors.lastname: LaMontagne
authors.forename: Joseph T
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Hepworth
authors.forename: Frances
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Cohen
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000293:Adolescent; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D000297:Psychology, Adolescent; D012600:Scoliosis / Q000451:nursing / Q000523:psychology / Q000601:surgery*; D013315:Stress, Psychological; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires