title: Effects of a Self-Encouragement Program on Stress of Mothers of Children with Cancer Referred to Imam Ali Hospital, Zahedan, In 2015
abstract: Introduction: In addition to the physical problems for the patients themselves, cancer can cause several social
  and psychological problems to the family, especially the mother in pediatric cases. This study aimed to investigate the
  effects of a self-encouragement program on stress of mothers of children with cancer referred to Imam Ali Hospital
  of Zahedan in 2015. Materials and Methods: This case-control study was performed on 44 mothers with children
  suffering from cancer, referred to the hospital during October and November of 2015. Convenience sampling was used,
  and the mothers were randomly allocated into two 22-member groups. The Impact of Event Scale – Revised (IES-R)
  was the data collection instrument. Educational classes were held in the hospital. Confidentiality and mutual respect
  were observed by each and every member of the group. Data obtained before and after the intervention were analyzed
  using the independent t-test, paired t-test and ANOVA. The significance level was set at 0.05. Findings: The most
  frequent diseases were acute lymphoblastic leukemia (47%) and brain tumors (16%). The results indicated that the
  mean score of stress in the control group did not significantly between the two time points (P=0.106). In the intervention
  group, however, there was a significant difference in stress mean scores before (54.3±2.0) and after (37.1±1.8) the
  intervention (P<0.001). Conclusion: Self-encouragement can help mothers dealing with a diseased child to feel less
  stressed. Therefore, they may be able to act more effectively when faced with problems.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nursing, Isfahan (Khorasgan) Branch, Islamic Azad University, Isfahan, Iran. Email: n45sadeghi@
  yahoo.com
authors.forename: Mahdieh
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Saljughi
authors.forename: Narges
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Sadeghi
keywords: Stress; self-encouragement; cancer; children; mothers