| Author: | Xu, Liying |
| Title: | The impact of care burden on the well-being of parents of children with leukemia : the roles of family resilience and social support |
| Advisors: | Yu, Lu (APSS) |
| Degree: | DSW |
| Year: | 2025 |
| Subject: | Leukemia in children -- Patients -- Family relationships Parents of chronically ill children Parent and child Resilience (Personality trait) Families -- Mental health Hong Kong Polytechnic University -- Dissertations |
| Department: | Department of Applied Social Sciences |
| Pages: | xi, 171 pages : illustrations |
| Language: | English |
| Abstract: | The primary objective of this study is to provide a systematic understanding about the multi-dimensional well-being of parents of children diagnosed with leukemia. A national study in China from 2018 to 2020 revealed that the incidence of childhood leukemia was 42.33 per million, ranking the top of childhood cancer. Childhood leukemia can be a crisis for the whole family and affects the well-being of the sick child's parents, as well as posing a challenge to public health services. This study employed a quantitative, cross-sectional design, using purposive sampling to recruit 417 parents, from 417 families of children with leukemia in Fujian Province, mainland China. Participants were invited to complete a questionnaire survey assessing their perceived care burden, multi-dimensional well-being, family resilience, and social support. The study first systematically examined the physical, psychological, social, and spiritual well-being of parents of children diagnosed with leukemia. Secondly, it investigated the role of family resilience as a mediator of the relationship between care burden and differ multi-dimensional well-being for parents of children with leukemia. Thirdly, this study examined the moderation effect of perceived social support on the relationship between care burden and parental multi-dimensional well-being, as well as the relationship between care burden and family resilience. The primary data analysis methods included descriptive statistics and Structural Equation Modeling. The key study findings suggested that parents of children with leukemia exhibited lower levels of multi-dimensional well-being compared to the general Chinese population. Moreover, this study revealed that higher levels of care burden were significantly associated with lower parental well-being. Family resilience was found to mediate this relationship, while social support moderated only the link to social well-being. Notably, although the interaction effects were non-significant, the direct effect of social support on either family resilience or well-being was significant. The significance of the study includes theoretical contribution, practical implication, and policy relevance. Theoretically, this study integrates theories of stress process theory and family resilience theory to examine multiple dimensions of well-being among parents of children with leukemia, a population that has received limited scholarly attention in the past. The findings highlight the direct protective effect of social support within Chinese pediatric oncology populations, while challenging the stress-buffering model. Practically, the findings of this study suggest that interventions aiming at enhancing family resilience may effectively improve caregiver well-being. Furthermore, illness-specific support, rather than general social support should be prioritized for parental caregivers. Policy-wise, policymakers should consider implementing family-focused support programs in pediatric oncology settings. |
| Rights: | All rights reserved |
| Access: | restricted access |
Files in This Item:
| File | Description | Size | Format | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8673.pdf | For All Users (off-campus access for PolyU Staff & Students only) | 3.14 MB | Adobe PDF | View/Open |
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