How supportive care needs influence resilience and hope in mothers of children with cancer?

Background: Cancer is a leading cause of death among children and adolescents. This illness severely impacts families, particularly mothers, who often bear the primary responsibility for the child's care. Identifying the supportive care needs of mothers and the factors associated with these needs is of significant importance. Therefore, This study aimed to investigate the relationship between these needs and the resilience and hope of mothers.

Methods: This cross-sectional correlational study was conducted in the hematology-oncology ward and clinic of a children's specialty hospital in Tabriz, Iran. The participants included 200 mothers of children under 18 years old with cancer, selected through convenient sampling. Data were collected using the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC-10), the Herth Hope Index (HHI), and the Supportive Care Needs Survey for Partners and Caregivers (SCNS-P&C). Data analysis was performed using statistical tests in SPSS version 26.

Results: The mean total score for supportive care needs among mothers was 55.33 ± 12.68 (range 0-100), with the highest need in the psychological and emotional domain. The mean resilience score was 17.42 ± 8.04 (range 0-40) and the mean hope score was 31.29 ± 5.71 (range 12-48), indicating that the participating mothers had low resilience and moderate hope. There was an moderate negative correlation between supportive care needs and both resilience and hope in the mothers (P < 0.001).

Conclusions: Meeting psychological and emotional needs is not only a clinical priority but also a psychological imperative. By implementing targeted interventions and enhancing support services, healthcare providers can improve resilience and hope.