Interactions among dyadic coping, self-efficacy, and negative emotions in Chinese parents of children with leukemia.

Abstract

Background and aim: The prevalence of childhood leukemia in China has been on the rise, imposing significant psychological burden on parents. Currently, few studies have explored the dyadic coping status of parents of children with leukemia and its influencing factors. This study aimed to investigate the associations among dyadic coping, self-efficacy, anxiety and depression in parents of children with leukemia.

Methods: A cross-sectional design was performed to conveniently sample 342 parents from the pediatric hematology ward of Peking University People's Hospital. The general demographic information, dyadic coping inventory, general self-efficacy scale, and hospital anxiety and depression scale were collected and analyzed using SPSS.22.0 software.

Results: The average age of the parents was (37.29 ± 5.73) years, while the total score of dyadic coping was 122.95 ± 16.68, the self-efficacy score was 25.03 ± 3.93, anxiety score was 15.58 ± 3.59, and depression score was 16.27 ± 3.86. Dyadic coping was significantly positively correlated with self-efficacy (r = 0.386, P < 0.01), and negatively correlated with parental anxiety and depression scores (r=-0.372; r=-0.264; P < 0.01). Multiple linear regression revealed that self-efficacy(β = 0.262), anxiety(β=-0.242), income per month (RMB,β = 0.182), knowledge of the child's illness(β = 0.138), number of relapses(β=-0.135), current treatment programs(β=-0.149), education level(β = 0.101) and the duration of diagnosis(β = 0.092) were significant factors influencing the parents' dyadic coping level (R² = 0.378, P < 0.01).

Conclusion: The dyadic coping level of parents of children with leukemia is generally moderate, is positively correlation with self-efficacy and negatively correlated with anxiety. Therefore, interventions targeting dyadic interactions between parents should be established to improve parental communication, foster coping mechanisms under stress, and alleviate the negative emotional responses.