Parent’s Health Literacy and Stress Level in the Inpatient Pediatric Setting

<p><strong>Purpose: </strong>This study examined the relationship between parent health literacy and stress levels during their child’s inpatient hospitalization.</p> <p><strong>Background: </strong>In 2019, over five million pediatric hospitalizations occurred in the United States. Parents are central to their child’s care, but stress and sociodemographic factors may hinder their ability to understand and apply health information. This study explored how stress and other variables impact parent health literacy during hospitalization.</p> <p><strong>Methods: </strong>A cross-sectional design included a demographic survey, the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10), and the Newest Vital Sign (NVS). Bivariate analyses (<em>Chi</em>-square, <em>t</em>-tests) and logistic regression were used to assess relationships between stress, health literacy, and sociodemographic variables.</p> <p><strong>Results: </strong>Caregivers ranged in age from 22 to 60 years (<em>M </em>= 38.36, <em>SD </em>= 8.42), with 81.3% identifying as female. The average stress score was 18.58 (<em>SD </em>= 6.95), and average health literacy was 4.08 (<em>SD </em>= 1.89). Most caregivers (70.8%) had adequate health literacy. Significant associations were found between health literacy and caregiver race/ethnicity (χ² = 15.19, <em>p </em>= .003), education (χ² = 12.95, <em>p </em>= .013), and primary language (χ² = 7.30, <em>p </em>= .015). Age and primary language emerged as significant predictors of health literacy.</p> <p><strong>Implications: </strong>Findings highlight the importance of considering sociodemographic factors—particularly race, ethnicity, education, and language—when assessing parent health literacy. Age and primary language were significant predictors, with non-English speakers having lower odds of adequate health literacy. Results suggest the need for healthcare systems to implement communication strategies that enhance health literacy and reduce stress among parents during pediatric hospitalizations, to ultimately improving patient care outcomes.</p>

Name thesis:degree_name

PhD Nursing

Level thesis:degree_level

Dissertation: Open Access

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Nursing

Year dc:date.available

2025

Author dc:creator

• Smith, Tina C

• health literacy
• pediatric
• parent
• inpatient
• stress
• Language and Literacy Education
• Pediatric Nursing

Repository record dc:identifier

https://digital.sandiego.edu/dissertations/1047

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:digital.sandiego.edu:dissertations-2058