Association of nurse-mother partnerships with parenting stress and family resilience among South Korean mothers of children with congenital heart disease

Purpose: Advances in the management of congenital heart disease (CHD) have significantly decreased mortality rates, indicating a need for continuous care as a chronic condition throughout the child's lifespan. This study examined the association of nurse-mother partnerships with parenting stress and family resilience among South Korean mothers of children with CHD.

Design and methods: This descriptive study involved 93 mothers of children aged six years or younger with CHD admitted to a hospital. Data were collected from September to November 2020 and analyzed using SPSS/WIN (version 29.0) for t-tests, analyses of variance, Pearson's correlation coefficient, and multiple regression analyses.

Results: The means and standard deviations of the nurse-mother partnership, parenting stress, and family resilience were 4.13 ± 0.47, 76.98 ± 16.6, and 56.54 ± 7.86 points, respectively. Parenting stress increased as the number of hospitalizations and surgeries increased and with complex types of CHD. Nurse-mother partnerships were stronger with longer hospital stays. Family resilience was higher with younger children, fewer rehospitalizations, and shorter hospital stays. A positive correlation was found between nurse-mother partnerships and family resilience, and a negative correlation between parenting stress and family resilience. Factors influencing parenting stress included family resilience, rehospitalizations, and complex types of CHD, and those affecting family resilience were nurse-mother partnerships, parenting stress, and the child's age.

Conclusion: Nurse-mother partnerships significantly affect family resilience.

Practical implications: Enhancing nurse-mother partnerships can improve family resilience, which in turn can reduce parenting stress, thus offering guidance for future nursing interventions.