Research project detail

Identification and Treatment of Parent and Family Distress Associated with Severe Childhood Illness or Injury

This research is a collaboration between the Parenting Research Centre and the Murdoch Childrens Research Institute. We aim to develop approaches that will best support parents of children with serious childhood illness/injury (SCII).

Rationale

Two streams of research will be undertaken. The first will identify the psychosocial risk factors in families with a child with a serious childhood illness/injury (SCII) and will be led by MCRI. The second will be led by the Parenting Research Centre and will develop and evaluate a program for parents of children with SCII. The overall aim is to assess whether a parent program improves coping and reduces psychosocial distress in parents of children with a SCII.

The objectives are to provide an accessible, brief, preventative program for parents of children with a SCII that:

• reduces parental distress and trauma symptoms
• increases parental use of adaptive coping processes
• increases parental competence and confidence.

Method

To identify the psychosocial risk factors, 300 families will take part in a survey across a three-year period. Parents, children and the child’s medical team will answer questions about the parent and child’s wellbeing and the impact of the SCII on the family.

The development of the parent program is expected to take approximately four years and is being conducted in two main phases:

1. Develop and pilot the program for parents who have a child with cancer or cardiac disease.
2. Evaluate the program to support parents of children who have experienced other serious childhood illnesses or injuries (e.g. acquired brain injury) through a randomised controlled trial. Approximately 1600 families will be screened for participation in the randomised controlled trial, which will commence during the second half of 2011. Following this, 245 families will be invited to participate in the parent program and will be randomised to one of three treatment arms: Take a Breath program version 1, Take a Breath program version 2, wait list control.

Results

The Take a Breath parent program was piloted with 20 families: five parents from the cardiology department and 15 parents from the Children’s Cancer Centre at the Royal Children’s Hospital Melbourne. Data is now being analysed, but initial results indicate extremely positive changes for families. The project is ongoing.

Research team

Parenting Research Centre

• Warren Cann
• Kylie Burke
• Anica Dimovski
• Amy Coe

Murdoch Childrens Research Institute and the Royal Children’s Hospital

• Professor Vicki Anderson
• Dr Frank Muscara
• Dr Maria McCarthy
• Simone Hearps
• Nathan Dowling

Contact

Kylie Burke
E: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
P:  +61 3 8660 3505

Funding

• Victorian Government Department of Human Services – North Western Region
• Pratt Foundation

Partners

• Murdoch Childrens Research Institute 
• Royal Children’s Hospital, Melbourne

Ethics

Royal Children’s Hospital Human Research Ethics Committee

Reports/Publications

In preparation