Figure 2 - uploaded by Charlotte Angelhoff
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Sleep-wake regulation: interaction between the homeostatic sleep drive and the circadian drive for arousal. Modified image inspired by Borbely's Two-process model of sleep regulation, 2016.
Source publication
Parents experience many stressful situations when their child is ill and needs medical care, irrespective of the child’s age, diagnosis or the severity of the illness. Poor sleep quality and negative mood decrease the parents’ ability to sustain attention and focus, to care for their ill child, and to cope with the challenges they face.
The overal...
Context in source publication
Context 1
... depth is regulated by the homeostatic sleep drive, which is related to the duration of prior wakefulness e.g. the previous night's sleep depth, nocturnal awakenings, and activity. Sleep duration is regulated by the cir- cadian drive for arousal, i.e. the biological clock. These two separate bio- logical processes interact and balance each other to regulate the sleep-wake cycle. Sleep homeostasis is characterized by an increase in sleep pressure following sleep deprivation wakefulness (i.e. one is sleepier the longer one is awake). When the homeostatic sleep drive is at its greatest distance from the circadian drive for arousal the "sleep-gate" opens ( Figure 2). The need for sleep decreases as sleep accumulates. Moreover, external factors e.g. stress, exercise, daily schedules, previous wakefulness, health status, alarm clocks etc., can have a direct or indirect effect on an individual's sleep-wake cycle (Borbely et al., 2016, Lee-Chiong, ...
Citations
... The results showed that extra noises, lights, and staff activities during the night had caused sleep deprivation and parents' negative temper. This, in turn, has reduced the parents' ability to maintain focus and care for their sick child (Angelhoff, 2017). In recent years, despite the availability of amenities such as individual rooms for the mother and the child, welfare amenities for parents' relaxation, and entertainment facilities, the need for parental comfort is still not fully met. ...
Purpose
This study aimed to investigate the relationship between parents' unmet needs with hospitalized children and the level of parental anxiety.
Design and methods
This correlational study was conducted on 194 parents with hospitalized children. The data were collected using the questionnaires of “revised needs of parents with hospitalized children” and “Zung's anxiety scale”. The data were then analyzed through descriptive and inferential statistics using SPSS software version 19.
Results
There was a very weak positive relationship between the number of unmet needs of the sick child and the physical symptoms of anxiety (P = 0.038, r = 0.149) and overall anxiety score (P = 0.018, r = 0.17). However, there was no significant relationship between the number of unmet needs in other groups. Also, there was no significant relationship between the total number of unmet needs and parental anxiety. The most frequent unmet needs of parents, respectively, belonged to 1) support and guidance, 2) needs of other family members, and 3) comfort.
Conclusions
It might not be possible to obviate all the parental needs during the child's hospitalization. It is noteworthy that failure to meet those parental needs directly related to the child may cause anxiety for the parents.
Practice implications
Meeting the needs of parents regarding support and guidance, comfort, other family members, and needs directly related to the child is recommended to prioritize in pediatric nursing care.
