Life Situation Scale for Parents of Children with Oncological Diseases – Polish adaptation

Abstract

Introduction: A child’s cancer diagnosis causes severe stress for parents throughout the treatment process. Long-term stress, an uncertain prognosis and constant disposability cause the carers of a sick child to experience adverse changes in the areas of physical and psychosocial health. Their living situation depends on the support they receive from loved ones and from medical staff. Research on the assessment of their specific living situation is gaining importance, which requires the use of an appropriate tool. Such possibilities are provided by the Life Situation Scale for Parents of children with cancer. The article presents the next steps in the adaptation of this questionnaire. Methods: A total of 112 parents of children with cancer participated in the study. Parents were in the age range 25 to 59 years (M = 38.56 years; SD =  6.71). The procedure for adapting the Life Situation Scale for Parents (LSS-P) included verification of the factor structure and assessment of the psychometric properties of the Polish version of the questionnaire. Results: Statistical analyses confirmed the good psychometric properties of the Polish adaptation of the Life Situation Scale for Parents (LSS-P). The adaptation includes 20 statements and measures 3 types of support: social, emotional and institutional i.e. received directly from the medical staff. Conclusion: Life Situation Scale for Parents of children with cancer proved to be a valid and reliable tool. The scale can be used in diagnosing the needs of parents in the process of a child’s cancer. This tool can be particularly useful in Oncology Departments, where it is important to care not only for the little patient, but also for their parents.