Due to the demanding structure of caring for a child with a life-threatening disease (LTD), parents experience psychosocial distress. Studies have shown that stress in parents of children with LTDs can be increased by unmet needs or fragmented care and may be mitigated by coordinated and comprehensive care. Limited literature exists about unmet needs of parents of children with LTDs and the barriers they encounter to accessing mental health resources within pediatric palliative care (PPC) programs. This research study applied quantifiable descriptive methods including a purposive sample of ninety-eight (98) PPC and other pediatric practitioners through the distribution of anonymous online surveys in order to examine unmet needs for mental health resources as they relate to parents of children with LTDs who experience psychological distress exacerbated from psychosocial stressors of care giving. Influenced by Andersen’s predisposing, enabling, and need factors, this study found that PPC practitioners perceived parents encountering waitlists and/or denials when referred to community mental health resources as demonstrating resistance against seeking help.
","abstract_html":"<p>Due to the demanding structure of caring for a child with a life-threatening disease (LTD), parents experience psychosocial distress. Studies have shown that stress in parents of children with LTDs can be increased by unmet needs or fragmented care and may be mitigated by coordinated and comprehensive care. Limited literature exists about unmet needs of parents of children with LTDs and the barriers they encounter to accessing mental health resources within pediatric palliative care (PPC) programs. This research study applied quantifiable descriptive methods including a purposive sample of ninety-eight (98) PPC and other pediatric practitioners through the distribution of anonymous online surveys in order to examine unmet needs for mental health resources as they relate to parents of children with LTDs who experience psychological distress exacerbated from psychosocial stressors of care giving. Influenced by Andersen’s predisposing, enabling, and need factors, this study found that PPC practitioners perceived parents encountering waitlists and/or denials when referred to community mental health resources as demonstrating resistance against seeking help.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Hurtado, Maria R"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Master of Social Work","degree_level":"Restricted Project: Campus only access","degree_discipline":"School of Social Work","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["McCaslin, Rosemary"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2015,"date_issued":"2015-06-01T07:00:00Z","date_published":"2015-06-01T07:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T01:52:45Z","subjects":["pediatrics","palliative care","unmet needs","mental health resources","parents","medical home model","Alternative and Complementary Medicine","Mental and Social Health","Other Medicine and Health Sciences","Social and Behavioral Sciences"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://scholarworks.lib.csusb.edu/etd/208","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["McCaslin, Rosemary"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Hurtado, Maria R"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2015-05-21T07:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["School of Social Work"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Restricted Project: Campus only access"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Social Work"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["pediatrics","palliative care","unmet needs","mental health resources","parents","medical home model","Alternative and Complementary Medicine","Mental and Social Health","Other Medicine and Health Sciences","Social and Behavioral Sciences"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://scholarworks.lib.csusb.edu/etd/208"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["Due to the demanding structure of caring for a child with a life-threatening disease (LTD), parents experience psychosocial distress. Studies have shown that stress in parents of children with LTDs can be increased by unmet needs or fragmented care and may be mitigated by coordinated and comprehensive care. Limited literature exists about unmet needs of parents of children with LTDs and the barriers they encounter to accessing mental health resources within pediatric palliative care (PPC) programs. This research study applied quantifiable descriptive methods including a purposive sample of ninety-eight (98) PPC and other pediatric practitioners through the distribution of anonymous online surveys in order to examine unmet needs for mental health resources as they relate to parents of children with LTDs who experience psychological distress exacerbated from psychosocial stressors of care giving. Influenced by Andersen’s predisposing, enabling, and need factors, this study found that PPC practitioners perceived parents encountering waitlists and/or denials when referred to community mental health resources as demonstrating resistance against seeking help.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["PEDIATRIC PALLIATIVE CARE: UNMET NEEDS FOR MENTAL HEALTH RESOURCES OF PARENTS OF CHILDREN WITH LIFE-THREATENING DISEASES"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["McCaslin, Rosemary"],"dc:creator":["Hurtado, Maria R"],"dc:date.available":["2015-05-21T07:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["Due to the demanding structure of caring for a child with a life-threatening disease (LTD), parents experience psychosocial distress. Studies have shown that stress in parents of children with LTDs can be increased by unmet needs or fragmented care and may be mitigated by coordinated and comprehensive care. Limited literature exists about unmet needs of parents of children with LTDs and the barriers they encounter to accessing mental health resources within pediatric palliative care (PPC) programs. This research study applied quantifiable descriptive methods including a purposive sample of ninety-eight (98) PPC and other pediatric practitioners through the distribution of anonymous online surveys in order to examine unmet needs for mental health resources as they relate to parents of children with LTDs who experience psychological distress exacerbated from psychosocial stressors of care giving. Influenced by Andersen’s predisposing, enabling, and need factors, this study found that PPC practitioners perceived parents encountering waitlists and/or denials when referred to community mental health resources as demonstrating resistance against seeking help.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://scholarworks.lib.csusb.edu/etd/208"],"dc:subject":["pediatrics","palliative care","unmet needs","mental health resources","parents","medical home model","Alternative and Complementary Medicine","Mental and Social Health","Other Medicine and Health Sciences","Social and Behavioral Sciences"],"dc:title":["PEDIATRIC PALLIATIVE CARE: UNMET NEEDS FOR MENTAL HEALTH RESOURCES OF PARENTS OF CHILDREN WITH LIFE-THREATENING DISEASES"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["School of Social Work"],"thesis:degree_level":["Restricted Project: Campus only access"],"thesis:degree_name":["Master of Social Work"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T01:52:45Z"}