The relationship between parental attachment and coping skills in hospitalized children.

OBJECTIVE

Examining the relationship between coping skills and child-parent attachment is crucial for understanding the psychological adjustment of hospitalized children. The aim of this study was to examine the effect of the parent-child attachment relationship on coping skills in hospitalized children.

DESIGN AND

METHODS

A cross-sectional study was conducted with 318 hospitalized children aged between 9 and 12 years. The Coping Scale for Children and Youth (CSCY) and Kerns' Security Scale (SS) were utilized to collect the necessary data. The study design and reporting followed the STROBE and Child-Centred Research Checklist (CCRC) guidelines.

RESULTS

The mean age of the children was 10 ± 1.0 years, and 55.3% of them were girls. The mean coping skills score was 58.9 ± 6.1, with girls having a significantly higher coping score than boys. In the linear regression analysis, secure attachment was a significant predictor of coping skills, explaining 19.6% of the variance (Adjusted R2 = 0.196, p < .001). Correlation analyses showed a positive significant relationship between secure attachment and problem-solving and help-seeking coping strategies, and a negative significant relationship between cognitive and behavioral avoidance skills.

CONCLUSIONS

The study results show that the coping styles of hospitalized children were affected by parent-child attachment. These findings provide important implications for developing children's coping skills during hospitalization.

PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: Understanding the interaction between parental attachment and coping styles will help design therapeutic interventions aimed at developing children's coping skills with hospitalization stress.