Parenting a child with a chronic illness during a pandemic.

BACKGROUND: Nearly 20% of children in the United States experience one or more chronic health conditions. Parents of a child with a special healthcare need (CSHCN) experience increased stress caring for a child with chronic illness. PURPOSE: The purpose of this descriptive study is to describe stress in parents of a child with chronic illness during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: Parents of CSHCN (n = 34) were asked to fill out the Pediatric Inventory for Parents (PIP) and answer two questions related to caring for their child during the COVID-19 pandemic. CONCLUSIONS: The means of the PIP-F (M = 146.6, SD = 20.5) and PIP-D (M = 141.9, SD = 23.9) were significantly higher than in previous studies. There is statistically significant positive correlation between parent stress and variables of age of the child and the length of time since diagnosis. In response to the questions about the impact of COVID, nearly all parents reported COVID increased their stress and reported their stress was related to isolation, lack of resources, and concern for the mental health of other children in the household. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: COVID-19 likely exacerbated feelings of stress for parents of children with chronic health conditions. Although unprecedented, COVID-19 shed light on the existing fragility and high stress of parents of CSHCN. Pediatric nurses not only care for children, but must be advocates for the mental health of their patient's parents.

"Finding My Own Way": The lived experience of undergraduate nursing students learning psychomotor skills during COVID-19.

BACKGROUND: Little is known about how nursing students learned psychomotor skills during the COVID-19 pandemic. AIMS: What is the lived experience of undergraduate nursing students learning psychomotor skills during the COVID-19 pandemic? METHODS: Using a phenomenological approach, eight undergraduate nursing students were interviewed about their experiences learning psychomotor skills during the pandemic. RESULTS: Thematic analysis revealed three main themes. "Finding My Own Way" described adapting learning styles and advocacy for learning. Sub-themes included perseverance and comradery. "Learning the Skills" described modifications to skills learning. Sub-themes included grace by professors, smaller group sizes, less practice, and "my brain is split in half," describing the challenges of giving dual attention to COVID-19 and skills learning. "Stress of the Pandemic" described the stress of quarantine, isolation and online learning. DISCUSSION: Findings of this study may help nurse educators understand the challenges of learning skills during the pandemic. Implications are discussed.