Parental Anxiety Associated With Kawasaki Disease in Previously Healthy Children
published online 18 September 2009. Corrected Proof
Abstract
Objective
The objective of this study was to explore the lived experience of parents of children diagnosed with Kawasaki disease (KD) and to identify factors associated with increased levels of parental anxiety.
Study design
Three focus groups were conducted including 25 parents of 17 patients with KD, seven (41%) of whom had coronary artery complications. A conceptual model was developed to depict parental experiences and illustrate the key issues related to heightened anxiety.
Results
Themes identified included anxiety related to the child's sudden illness and delay in obtaining a correct diagnosis because of the lack of health care providers’ awareness and knowledge regarding KD. Parents were frustrated by the lack of information available in lay language and the limited scientific knowledge regarding the long-term consequences of the disease. Parents also reported positive transformations and different perspective toward challenges in life. However, the parents of children with coronary artery complications expressed persistent anxiety even years after the acute phase of the illness due to the uncertainty of the long-term prognosis.
Conclusions
There remains a critical need for richly textured research data on the perspective and experience of families of children with KD.
Correspondence: Rae S. M. Yeung, MD, PhD, The Hospital for Sick Children, 555 University Ave, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5G 1X8
Supported in part by the CIBC World Markets Children's Miracle Foundation (Brian W. McCrindle, MD, MPH) and the Arthritis Society Investigator Award (Rae S. M. Yeung, MD, PhD).
ABSTRACT