Factors of family-centered care associated with state anxiety in parents of children and adolescents with disabilities.

Abstract

Objective: This study compared the family situations, specifically parents' perceptions of receiving family-centered care and their children's behavioral difficulties, among four parental groups classified by their combinations of state and trait anxiety levels, and investigated factors associated with state anxiety in parents of children and adolescents with disabilities.

Methods: Cross-sectional data of 95 parents of children and adolescents admitted as outpatients were analyzed. Responses were collected to the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), Measure of Processes of Care (MPOC-20), and Strength and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ).

Results: MPOC-20 Enabling and Partnership in the group with high state and trait anxiety was lower than that in the groups with low state anxiety, and the total difficulties score and Peer Problems of the SDQ in the former group were higher than those in the group with low state anxiety. Regression indicated that factors associated with state anxiety scores were STAI trait anxiety [odds ratios: 1.250, 95% CI (1.141, 1.369)], Providing Specific Information about the Child of MPOC-20 [0.566, (0.359, 0.892)], and the number of health and social care facilities [0.560, (0.353, 0.889)]. Discriminant accuracy for high and low state anxiety was 85.3%.

Conclusion: The odds ratios highlighted that the provision of child-related information and the utilization of multiple facilities were significantly associated with parental state anxiety levels. These findings suggest that tailored information provision and enhancing access to coordinated multi-facility support networks, incorporating consideration of parental anxiety characteristics, may be meaningfully associated with more favorable emotional states in parents.