Stress, Quality of Life, And Perceived Healthcare Trajectories Among Mothers of Hospitalized Children: A Descriptive Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Background of the study is the hospitalization of a child may impose substantial emotional, practical, and financial demands on mothers, who frequently remain the principal caregivers. Maternal stress, quality of life, and experiences of navigating pediatric services are interrelated dimensions of family-centered care, yet regional evidence from Sangli District, Maharashtra, remains limited. Aim of this study were to assess stress, quality of life, and perceived healthcare trajectories among mothers of children admitted to pediatric units in selected hospitals of Sangli District, Maharashtra, and to examine relationships with selected sociodemographic and clinical variables. Method used in this study is quantitative, descriptive cross-sectional design was used. The study included 350 mothers of hospitalized children recruited through purposive sampling. Eligible participants were mothers of children aged one month to 12 years who had been admitted for more than four days and who consented to participate. Data were collected using a sociodemographic questionnaire, the 18-item Parental Stress Scale, the WHOQOL-BREF, and a researcher-developed Parent/Caretaker Perception of the Pediatric Healthcare Journey Questionnaire. Descriptive statistics, independent-samples t tests, one-way analysis of variance, Tukey post hoc analysis, and Spearman’s rank correlation were used. Statistical significance was set at p < 0.05. finally, the results proved that the mean parental-stress score was 4.36 (SD 0.22) on a five-point scale, indicating a high level of perceived stress. Mean quality-of-life scores were 57.14 (SD 10.64) for physical health, 61.95 (SD 10.84) for psychological health, 69.33 (SD 16.90) for social relationships, 68.66 (SD 9.72) for environmental health, 67.36 (SD 28.71) for overall quality of life, and 68.14 (SD 28.94) for satisfaction with health. The mean perceived healthcare-trajectory score was 3.82 (SD 0.42) on a five-point scale, suggesting generally positive perceptions of communication, coordination, information, involvement, and support. Parental stress differed significantly according to the child’s age, F = 6.493, p = 0.001; mothers of children below one year, aged 1–3 years, and aged 7–9 years reported higher stress than mothers of children aged 4–6 years. Stress was not significantly correlated with healthcare trajectory or quality-of-life domains. A weak negative correlation was observed between physical-health score and satisfaction with health, ρ = −0.116, p = 0.030. Child gender and previous hospitalization experience were not significantly associated with the principal study variables. The conclusion of the study is Mothers of hospitalized children reported high perceived stress despite generally positive perceptions of the healthcare journey and moderate-to-good quality-of-life scores. Stress varied by the child’s age but was not significantly related to healthcare-trajectory or quality-of-life scores in this sample. Pediatric services should incorporate routine maternal-stress screening, clear communication, family involvement, and accessible psychosocial support.