Characteristics of a child's critical illness and parents' reactions: preliminary report of a pilot study.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the relationships between parents' reactions to the pediatric intensive care unit admission of a child and characteristics of the child's illness.

METHOD: A convenience sample, consisting of 16 mothers and 13 fathers of 16 children aged 5 years and younger, was used. The Pediatric Risk of Mortality scale was used to measure severity of illness. Parental reactions were measured at about 24 hours after the child's admission with the Parental Stressor Scale: PICU and the Parental Concerns Scale.

RESULTS: Mothers' concerns and stressors were not related to the child's Pediatric Risk of Mortality score. However, fathers reported greater concern about the child's experience and about parenting as the child's Pediatric Risk of Mortality score increased.

CONCLUSIONS: Parents' reactions to their child's critical illness and admission to the pediatric intensive care unit were not related to characteristics of the child's condition in this small sample. Future research needs are suggested.