Other Titles
PechaKucha Presentation
Abstract
Background: An estimated 230,000 children are admitted to the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) annually in the United States. A child’s critical illness is stressful for the entire family, causing significant emotional distress among parents. The PICU experience can lead to the development of clinical distress and anxiety in parents following patient discharge. Journal writing is an intervention that has been effective for improving mental health outcomes in various populations. Several meta-analyses show small to moderately sized beneficial effects in improving depression, stress, and PTSD symptoms in the general population. Recently, there has been more interest surrounding the use of parent journals in pediatric critical care. One researcher found that the majority of parents whoused the journal recommended it for other parents. They did not find any difference in stress scores between the experimental and control group, however, their group size was small.
Specific Aims: The aim of this study is to describe whether journal writing reduces stress and depression in caregivers of children admitted to the PICU.
Methods: A quasi-experiemental 2 group design was used. Caregivers are recruited from the PICU at a large freestanding children’s hospital in the Pacific Northwest. After answering baseline questionnaires, they are allocated to the journal writing intervention group (n = 18) or control group (n = 15). Caregivers in the intervention group are given a journal and asked to write in the journal at least 4 times/week for at least 10 minutes, while the control group receives standard nursing care. Both groups receive surveys at stress, depression surveys at baseline, discharge, and at 3 months after discharge.
Results: Data collection is in progress. Recruitment started 5/20/24.
Discussion: Caregivers whose child is admitted to the PICU are at risk for developing anxiety, stress, and PTSD after discharge. Interventions to improve the mental health of caregivers in the PICU are limited. Journal writing is a simple and cost effective intervention that nurses can offer families upon admission and does not require additional nursing time other than explaining the journal to the family. The results of this study will add to the body of knowledge related to interventions that may improve parent mental health.
Notes
References:
Board, R. (2021). The therapeutic effects of journal writing for parents of picu patients: A research brief. Journal for Specialists in Pediatric Nursing, 26(2). https://doi.org/10.1111/jspn.12329
Cumella, K. (2022). Gratitude journals can improve nurses’ mental well-being. Nursing, 52(12), 58–61. https://doi.org/10.1097/01.nurse.0000884760.97338.8b
Garrouste-Orgeas, M., Flahault, C., Fasse, L., Ruckly, S., Amdjar-Badidi, N., Argaud, L., … Timsit, J.-F. (2017). The ICU-diary study: Prospective, multicenter comparative study of the impact of an ICU diary on the wellbeing of patients and families in French ICUs. Trials, 18(1), 542. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13063-017-2283-y
McIlroy PA, King RS, Garrouste-Orgeas M, Tabah A, Ramanan M. (2019). The effect of ICU diaries on psychological outcomes and quality of life of survivors of critical illness and their relatives: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Critical Care Medicine, 47(2), 273-279. https://doi.org/ 10.1097/CCM.0000000000003547
Suleman, Z., Evans, C., Manning, J.C. (2019). Parents’ and carers’ experiences of transition and aftercare following a child’s discharge from a paediatric intensive care unit to an in-patient ward setting: A qualitative systematic review. Intensive Critical Care Nursing, 51, 35–44.
Sigma Membership
Non-member
Type
Presentation
Format Type
Text-based Document
Study Design/Type
Quasi-Experimental Study, Other
Research Approach
Quantitative Research
Keywords:
Stress and Coping, Journal Writing, Caregivers of Children, Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, PICU
Recommended Citation
Kemp, Lauren and Gallegos, Cara, "Does Journal Writing Reduce Stress and Depression in Parents of a Critically Ill Child?" (2025). International Nursing Research Congress (INRC). 176.
https://www.sigmarepository.org/inrc/2025/presentations_2025/176
Conference Name
36th International Nursing Research Congress
Conference Host
Sigma Theta Tau International
Conference Location
Seattle, Washington, USA
Conference Year
2025
Rights Holder
All rights reserved by the author(s) and/or publisher(s) listed in this item record unless relinquished in whole or part by a rights notation or a Creative Commons License present in this item record.
Review Type
Abstract Review Only: Reviewed by Event Host
Acquisition
Proxy-submission
Does Journal Writing Reduce Stress and Depression in Parents of a Critically Ill Child?
Seattle, Washington, USA
Background: An estimated 230,000 children are admitted to the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) annually in the United States. A child’s critical illness is stressful for the entire family, causing significant emotional distress among parents. The PICU experience can lead to the development of clinical distress and anxiety in parents following patient discharge. Journal writing is an intervention that has been effective for improving mental health outcomes in various populations. Several meta-analyses show small to moderately sized beneficial effects in improving depression, stress, and PTSD symptoms in the general population. Recently, there has been more interest surrounding the use of parent journals in pediatric critical care. One researcher found that the majority of parents whoused the journal recommended it for other parents. They did not find any difference in stress scores between the experimental and control group, however, their group size was small.
Specific Aims: The aim of this study is to describe whether journal writing reduces stress and depression in caregivers of children admitted to the PICU.
Methods: A quasi-experiemental 2 group design was used. Caregivers are recruited from the PICU at a large freestanding children’s hospital in the Pacific Northwest. After answering baseline questionnaires, they are allocated to the journal writing intervention group (n = 18) or control group (n = 15). Caregivers in the intervention group are given a journal and asked to write in the journal at least 4 times/week for at least 10 minutes, while the control group receives standard nursing care. Both groups receive surveys at stress, depression surveys at baseline, discharge, and at 3 months after discharge.
Results: Data collection is in progress. Recruitment started 5/20/24.
Discussion: Caregivers whose child is admitted to the PICU are at risk for developing anxiety, stress, and PTSD after discharge. Interventions to improve the mental health of caregivers in the PICU are limited. Journal writing is a simple and cost effective intervention that nurses can offer families upon admission and does not require additional nursing time other than explaining the journal to the family. The results of this study will add to the body of knowledge related to interventions that may improve parent mental health.
Description
Each year, 230,000 children are admitted to PICUs in the U.S., causing significant stress for parents. This study aims to see if journal writing can reduce stress and depression in caregivers. Caregivers are split into a journal writing group and a control group. The intervention group is asked to write in journals 4 times/week. Surveys are conducted at baseline, discharge, and 3 months post-discharge. Data collection began on May 20, 2024 and results are pending.