Research Group to Study Hope Intervention for Parents
Having a child diagnosed with a life limiting illness or life threatening illness can be both a shocking and devastating experience for a parent, only to be worsened by repeated periods of uncertainty, loss of control and distress.
Because hope has been described by parents as the ‘calm in the storm’ and a critical and essential aspect of their health and caregiving activities, helping parents maintain hope is an important part of providing optimal health care for families. However, parents are at risk for losing hope.
Principal Investigator, College of Nursing faculty member Dr. Jill Bally along with Co-Investigators Dr. Christopher Mpofu (Saskatchewan Cancer Agency), Dr. Heather Hodgson-Viden (College of Medicine University of Saskatchewan), Dr. Lorraine Holtslander (College of Nursing), community partner, Marcelline Zimmer (Ronald McDonald House Saskatchewan) and Dr. Meridith Burles (Post Doctoral Student) will be working together, through a grant from Saskatchewan Health Research Foundation (SHRF) to evaluate a theory-based hope intervention to support parents of children with life limiting and life threatening illnesses.
“There is little scientific information available to support health care providers in assessing and intervening effectively with parents to maintain their health while undergoing difficult transitions related to their child’s illness,” said Dr. Jill Bally. “Similarly, there are very few supportive interventions to improve holistic health care and positive health outcomes for these families.”
The purpose of this study is to refine and pre-test a theory-based hope intervention for parents who have children with life limiting illness or life threatening illness, as well as evaluate the effectiveness of the revised intervention.
As groundbreaking work begins on the new Children’s Hospital of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon and pediatric palliative care in Saskatchewan continues to undergo development, this research will help to provide better supportive care for families. The findings from this study will also establish a foundation for future research aimed at improving pediatric family nursing care.