A structural equation model of developing a partnership between pediatric nurses and parents of children with cancer in South Korea

Purpose: A trust-based cooperative partnership between pediatric nurses and parents of children with cancer is a significant factor in improving parents' coping abilities and reducing their anxiety. We aimed to identify factors and construct a structural equation model of developing a partnership between pediatric nurses and parents of children with cancer in South Korea. The model was based on Lazarus and Folkman's stress-coping-adaptation model. Design and methods: Data were collected utilizing a structured questionnaire, which included the following variables: parental stress, perceived nursing support, empowerment, coping, communication with nurses and nurse-parents partnership. The study participants included 205 parents of children diagnosed with cancer and receiving treatment as either inpatients or outpatients in South Korea. We used SPSS/WIN 26.0 to analyze the data and AMOS 26.0 to conduct the structural equation modeling. Results: Empowerment (beta = 0.536, p = 0.001) and communication with nurses (beta = 0.169, p = 0.021) explained 26.0% of the total variance of nurse-parents partnership. Conclusions: The final model constructed here was confirmed to be suitable for explaining and predicting parent-nurse partnerships. Our results are meaningful in constructing partnership model between pediatric nurses and parents of children with cancer based on conceptual model. Practical implications: Strategies and efforts to enhance communication with nurses and parental empowerment will be helpful for enhancing parent-nurse partnerships as children and parents go through the treatment process. (C) 2021 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.