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Group intervention for burnout in parents of chronically ill children – a small‐scale study
Author(s) -
Lindström Caisa,
Åman Jan,
AnderzénCarlsson Agneta,
Lindahl Norberg Annika
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
scandinavian journal of caring sciences
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.678
H-Index - 66
eISSN - 1471-6712
pISSN - 0283-9318
DOI - 10.1111/scs.12287
Subject(s) - burnout , intervention (counseling) , attendance , medicine , coping (psychology) , clinical psychology , psychology , psychiatry , economics , economic growth
Background Long‐term stress leading to burnout symptoms is prevalent in parents of chronically ill children. The aim of the study was to evaluate the effect of a group intervention by measuring changes in self‐rated clinical burnout and performance‐based self‐esteem. In addition, the parental perceptions of the acceptability of the intervention were explored. Methods Previously, we have explored the prevalence of clinical burnout in parents of patients 1–18 years with type 1 diabetes mellitus ( T 1 DM ) and inflammatory bowel disease ( IBD ) in the county of Ö rebro. All parents who exhibited clinical burnout symptoms in accordance with the S hirom– M elamed B urnout Q uestionnaire ( SMBQ ) were then invited to participate in a group intervention, which was evaluated in the present small‐scale study. The group intervention consisted of eight sessions over a 12‐week period, including education about behaviour, cognition and symptoms associated with burnout, intending to help the parents to develop adequate strategies for coping with and reducing stress. We evaluated the effect of the intervention in terms of self‐rated clinical burnout and performance‐based self‐esteem ( PBSE ). In addition, the acceptability of the intervention was evaluated by analyses of recruitment and retention and self‐reports from parents. Results Sixteen parents (13 of children with TIDM and three of children with IBD ) out of 104 reporting clinical burnout participated in the intervention. All participants completed the intervention, and the mean attendance rate at all sessions was 90%. Parents’ subjective evaluations were mainly positive, and SMBQ (p = 0.01) and PBSE scale (p = 0.04) measurements were significantly reduced, which effects remained 6 months after completion of the intervention. Conclusions Despite the small‐scale study, we consider that this intervention for parents with clinical burnout was appreciated and well accepted. The significant reduction in clinical burnout symptoms requires further evaluation in randomised controlled studies based on larger groups of parents.