{"title":"Uncertainty, knowledge, and anxiety of mothers concerning febrile seizure: A comparison between affected and unaffected mothers","authors":"","doi":"10.1016/j.pedn.2024.08.002","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><p>Febrile seizures are the most common type of convulsions affecting children aged six months to five years. However, febrile seizures can be difficult to identify due to the vague nature of the symptoms, which can lead to incorrect diagnosis and treatment. Thus, this study explores febrile seizure-related uncertainty, knowledge, and anxiety among mothers.</p></div><div><h3>Design and methods</h3><p>A cross-sectional design included 190 Jordanian mothers, about half with children having febrile seizure history. Instruments included the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), Parental Perception of Uncertainty Scale (PPUS), and Parental Knowledge, Attitudes, Concerns, and Practices (KACP).</p></div><div><h3>Results</h3><p>Mothers exhibited poor febrile seizure knowledge, with affected mothers significantly scoring higher than unaffected. Affected mothers had higher state and trait anxiety and uncertainty. Correlations showed uncertainty positively correlated with anxiety. Regression analysis showed that trait anxiety and knowledge predicted uncertainty in affected mothers, while only trait anxiety predicted uncertainty in unaffected mothers.</p></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><p>Mothers, especially those with affected children, demonstrated low febrile seizure knowledge, high anxiety, and uncertainty. Lack of knowledge may contribute to ineffective febrile seizure management. The study identifies trait anxiety and knowledge as predictors of uncertainty, emphasizing the need for tailored interventions.</p></div><div><h3>Practice implications</h3><p>Healthcare professionals can design interventions targeting febrile seizure education and anxiety reduction. Policymakers should focus on raising awareness and allocating resources for effective interventions, potentially improving children with febrile seizure outcomes. This study underscores the importance of addressing maternal knowledge gaps, anxiety, and uncertainty related to febrile seizures, suggesting the need for comprehensive educational programs and support strategies for mothers.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":48899,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Pediatric Nursing-Nursing Care of Children & Families","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.1000,"publicationDate":"2024-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0882596324003026/pdfft?md5=44b4af1a80bff5de4d1370e288de9af8&pid=1-s2.0-S0882596324003026-main.pdf","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Journal of Pediatric Nursing-Nursing Care of Children & Families","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0882596324003026","RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"NURSING","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Background
Febrile seizures are the most common type of convulsions affecting children aged six months to five years. However, febrile seizures can be difficult to identify due to the vague nature of the symptoms, which can lead to incorrect diagnosis and treatment. Thus, this study explores febrile seizure-related uncertainty, knowledge, and anxiety among mothers.
Design and methods
A cross-sectional design included 190 Jordanian mothers, about half with children having febrile seizure history. Instruments included the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), Parental Perception of Uncertainty Scale (PPUS), and Parental Knowledge, Attitudes, Concerns, and Practices (KACP).
Results
Mothers exhibited poor febrile seizure knowledge, with affected mothers significantly scoring higher than unaffected. Affected mothers had higher state and trait anxiety and uncertainty. Correlations showed uncertainty positively correlated with anxiety. Regression analysis showed that trait anxiety and knowledge predicted uncertainty in affected mothers, while only trait anxiety predicted uncertainty in unaffected mothers.
Conclusion
Mothers, especially those with affected children, demonstrated low febrile seizure knowledge, high anxiety, and uncertainty. Lack of knowledge may contribute to ineffective febrile seizure management. The study identifies trait anxiety and knowledge as predictors of uncertainty, emphasizing the need for tailored interventions.
Practice implications
Healthcare professionals can design interventions targeting febrile seizure education and anxiety reduction. Policymakers should focus on raising awareness and allocating resources for effective interventions, potentially improving children with febrile seizure outcomes. This study underscores the importance of addressing maternal knowledge gaps, anxiety, and uncertainty related to febrile seizures, suggesting the need for comprehensive educational programs and support strategies for mothers.
期刊介绍:
Official Journal of the Society of Pediatric Nurses and the Pediatric Endocrinology Nursing Society (PENS)
The Journal of Pediatric Nursing: Nursing Care of Children and Families (JPN) is interested in publishing evidence-based practice, quality improvement, theory, and research papers on a variety of topics from US and international authors. JPN is the official journal of the Society of Pediatric Nurses and the Pediatric Endocrinology Nursing Society. Cecily L. Betz, PhD, RN, FAAN is the Founder and Editor in Chief.
Journal content covers the life span from birth to adolescence. Submissions should be pertinent to the nursing care needs of healthy and ill infants, children, and adolescents, addressing their biopsychosocial needs. JPN also features the following regular columns for which authors may submit brief papers: Hot Topics and Technology.