title: Use of complementary and alternative medicine and the anxiety levels of mothers of children with chronic diseases.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study aimed to determine the use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) by mothers with a chronically ill child and their anxiety levels.
  
  
  METHODS
  This study used a descriptive design. The study was conducted with 135 mothers of a chronically ill child at a general pediatric and oncology unit in Uludağ University Hospital, Bursa, Turkey. A questionnaire, including sociodemographic items and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, were given to the mothers.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In the study, 42.29% of the mothers reported using one or more CAM therapies for their child with a chronic disease, including herbal medicine, taking the child to hodja (prayers), a special diet, and a special massage. The mothers experienced anxiety and the presence of a disease within the close family circle increased the anxiety level of the mothers.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Herbs and other alternative supplements were used by some children with a chronic disease in Turkey. The most commonly used CAM therapies included oral herbal medicine, taking the child to hodja, massage, and diets. Therefore, it is important to consider the implications of the popularity of complementary therapies. Most of the mothers used more than one of these therapies for their child and the anxiety level of the mothers was found to be moderate.
authors.affiliation: School of Health, Faculty of Medicine, Uludağ University, Turkey. nurcanozyazicioglu@yahoo.com.tr
authors.forename: Nurcan
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Özyazicioğlu
authors.forename: Pakize
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Ogur
authors.forename: Gülbu
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Tanriverdi
authors.forename: Pınar
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Vural
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001007:Anxiety / Q000523:psychology*; D017028:Caregivers / Q000523:psychology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002908:Chronic Disease / Q000451:nursing* / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D000529:Complementary Therapies / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D029001:Herbal Medicine; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D008405:Massage / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008519:Medicine, Traditional / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D009035:Mothers / Q000523:psychology*; D014421:Turkey