پژوهان (Sep 2023)
Relationship Between Parents’ Mental Health and Anxiety in Children Aged 6-18 Years with Cancer in Hamadan, Iran
Abstract
Background and Objectives: Cancer is among the main causes of death worldwide and the third cause of children’s death Iran. Children who suffer from cancer experience anxiety, and their parents’ mental health will be put in danger. Therefore, the present study aimed to investigate the relationship between parents’ mental health and anxiety in children with cancer in Hamadan, Iran, 2023. Materials and Methods: In this descriptive cross-sectional study, 100 children aged between 6-18 years old with cancer who were accompanied by their parents and referred to the Hematology Ward of Besat Hospital, Hamadan, Iran, and had inclusion criteria were selected through available sampling. Data collection tools included the Demographic Information Questionnaire, Goldberg mental health questionnaire (GHQ-28), and multidimensional anxiety scale for children (MASC). The collected data was analyzed using SPSS (version 26) and correlation and regression tests. Results: The mean and SD of the age of the children was 9.59 ± 2.88 years, and most (55%) of the studied children were boys and had leukemia (42%). The mean and SD of parents' mental health was 27.56 (10.66), and children's anxiety was 60.8 (14.93). No statistically significant relationship was observed between the mental health of parents and the anxiety of children with cancer (P>0.05). Conclusion: The obtained results showed that there was no statistically significant relationship between parents' mental health and children's anxiety. Therefore, it is suggested to investigate these characteristics in a larger sample size and a different statistical population in future studies.
