title: Factors influencing fatigue among mothers with hospitalized children: A structural equation model.
abstract: The aim of this study was to identify the physiological, psychological, and situational factors affecting fatigue among mothers of hospitalized children.
  
  
  
  This study used a cross-sectional descriptive design with a self-report questionnaire. Participants were 211 mothers with children younger than 6 years old who were admitted to general hospitals. Based on the theory of unpleasant symptoms, the physiological, psychological, and situational factors were tested using structural equation modeling.
  
  
  
  Mothers' fatigue was influenced by physiological (β = .24), situational, and psychological factors (β = .17), and situational (β = .37) factors such as the mother's sleeping hours, the child's adaptation to hospitalization, anxiety and having support with their housework. These three factors explained 31.34% of the variance in fatigue. In particular, it was found that the psychological factors exacerbate the negative influence of the situational factors on fatigue. Moreover, the situational factors were most strongly related to mothers' fatigue, and they had an indirect effect via the psychological factors as a mediator.
  
  
  
  It is necessary to implement a nursing intervention that targets the controllable factors such as anxiety and children's adaptation to hospitalization that were identified in this study. Pediatric nursing care should not be limited to treating children's illnesses, but should be extended to providing family-centered care.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nursing, Hallym University, Chuncheon, South Korea.
authors.forename: Shin Jeong
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Nursing, Keimyung University, Daegu, South Korea.
authors.forename: Hye Young
authors.initials: HY
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Nursing, Jeju Tourism University, Aewol-eup, South Korea.
authors.forename: Young Ae
authors.initials: YA
authors.lastname: Park
authors.affiliation: Redcross College of Nursing, ChungAng University, Seoul, South Korea.
authors.forename: Sung Hee
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Nursing, Baekseok University, Cheonan, South Korea.
authors.forename: So Young
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Yoo
authors.affiliation: Department of Emergency Medical Technician, Dongnam Health University, Suwon, South Korea.
authors.forename: Jung Eun
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Department of Nursing, Hallym University, Chuncheon, South Korea.
authors.forename: Sun Young
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Moon
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D002673:Child, Hospitalized / Q000523:psychology*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005221:Fatigue / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D009034:Mother-Child Relations / Q000523:psychology*; D009035:Mothers / Q000523:psychology*; D010371:Pediatric Nursing / Q000592:standards*; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D013315:Stress, Psychological; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
keywords: anxiety; child; fatigue; hospitalized; mothers; pediatric nursing