| Description |
The goal of the study is to understand the relationship between the impact of illness on the family, sibling functioning, and Child Life Services when a child in the family had received a heart, kidney, or liver transplant at Primary Children's Hospital. Twenty-eight families participated. Parents completed the Impact on Family Scale and Brief Problem Monitor-Parent Form and siblings of transplant recipients completed the Sibling Perception Questionnaire. The surveys were utilized to assess the impact of illness on the family, sibling behavior problems, and siblings' perceptions of how the illness affected family life. A Child Life Services Survey was created for the purposes of this study to assess frequency, satisfaction, and availability of Child Life Services, as well as parents' perceptions of the effectiveness and quality of Child Life Services. Analyses of the quantitative data revealed that families who were more affected by the illness also received more Child Life Services as reported by the mother. The data also revealed that siblings had more attention problems when the transplanted child required more time to manage his or her health care needs. Analyses of the qualitative data indicate that Child Life Services were valued by and meaningful for patients and families; however, the quality of services received appeared to be limited by an insufficient number of Child Life Specialists available to the patients and families. Implications include a need for more Child Life staff, improved sibling services, a need to empower parents, and increased communication regarding the role of Child Life to better meet the needs of patients and families. |
