Caregiver stress from a child’s diagnosis can impact a caregiver’s ability to participate in treatment decisions, comply, and manage long-term illness. The aim of this study was to compare caregiver stress in children with craniosynostosis at diagnosis and postoperatively.

This prospective study included caregivers of pediatric patients with craniosynostosis receiving operative intervention. Demographics and Parenting Stress Index, Short Form (PSI-SF) and Pediatric Inventory for Parents (PIP) surveys at baseline (preoperatively) and 3 and 6 months postoperatively were completed. PSI-SF scores between 15 and 80 are considered normal, with > 85 being clinically significant and requiring follow-up. Higher PIP scores represent increased frequency and difficulty of stressful events due to the child’s illness. Pairwise comparisons were performed using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test. Multivariate analysis was performed to assess for PSI-SF and PIP predictors.

Of 106 caregivers (84% Caucasian), there were 62 mothers and 40 fathers. There were 68 and 45 responses at 3 and 6 months postoperatively, respectively. Regarding the baseline group, more than 80% were between 20 and 40 years of age and 58% had less than 2 years of college education. The median household income fell in the $45,001–$60,000 bracket. There was no significant difference between median baseline PSI-SF score (65, IQR 51–80) and those at 3 months (p = 0.45) and 6 months (p = 0.82) postoperatively. Both median PIP frequency (89 vs 74, p < 0.01) and difficulty (79 vs 71, p < 0.01) scores were lower at 3 months, although no significant difference was observed at 6 months (frequency: 95 vs 91, p = 0.67; difficulty: 82 vs 80, p = 0.34). Female sex, uninsured status, and open surgery type were all risk factors for higher parental stress.

Stress levels ranged from normal to clinically significant in the caregivers, with sex, uninsured status, and open repair predicting higher stress. Stress decreased at 3 months postoperatively before increasing at 6 months. Intervention targeting caregiver stress should be explored to maintain lower stress observed at 3 months after surgery.

来自儿童诊断的照顾者压力会影响照顾者参与治疗决策、遵守和管理长期疾病的能力。本研究的目的是比较颅缝早闭儿童在诊断时和术后照顾者的压力。

这项前瞻性研究包括接受手术干预的颅缝早闭儿科患者的护理人员。完成了基线（术前）和术后 3 个月和 6 个月的人口统计和育儿压力指数、简表 (PSI-SF) 和家长儿科清单 (PIP) 调查。PSI-SF 评分在 15 到 80 之间被认为是正常的，> 85 具有临床意义并需要随访。较高的 PIP 分数表示由于孩子的疾病而导致的压力事件的频率和难度增加。使用 Wilcoxon 符号秩检验进行成对比较。进行多变量分析以评估 PSI-SF 和 PIP 预测因子。

在 106 名护理人员（84% 为白种人）中，有 62 名母亲和 40 名父亲。术后 3 个月和 6 个月分别有 68 和 45 例反应。关于基线组，超过 80% 的人年龄在 20 至 40 岁之间，58% 的人接受过不到 2 年的大学教育。家庭收入中位数下降在 45,001 美元至 60,000 美元之间。中位基线 PSI-SF 评分（65，IQR 51-80）与术后 3 个月（p = 0.45）和 6 个月（p = 0.82）的评分无显着差异。中位 PIP 频率（89 对 74，p < 0.01）和难度（79 对 71，p < 0.01）评分在 3 个月时均较低，但在 6 个月时未观察到显着差异（频率：95 对 91，p = 0.67 ; 难度：82 对 80，p = 0.34）。女性、无保险状态和开放式手术类型都是父母压力较高的危险因素。

照顾者的压力水平从正常到临床显着不等，性别、未保险状态和开放式修复预示着更高的压力。压力在术后 3 个月减少，然后在 6 个月增加。应探索针对照顾者压力的干预措施，以维持术后 3 个月观察到的较低压力。