Mothers of children with leukemia: Self-reported and observed distress and coping during painful pediatric procedures

Self-reported maternal coping, self-rated maternal distress, and observed distress and coping behaviors were assessed during lumbar punctures (LP) with families of 45 patients with leukemia. Mothers' subscale means for Ways of Coping Scale (WCS) were significantly higher for 4 of 8 dimensions in this sample than for a stressed community sample. Mothers displayed almost no overt distress, but reported moderate distress both before and after the procedure. Planful problem-solving and self-controlling coping strategies showed correlations of moderate magnitude with observed maternal coping. In regression analyses, mothers' observed distress and coping were most strongly related to patient age and patients' observed distress and coping. Findings are discussed in terms of identifying mothers at risk for greater distress and the difficulties in coping with procedures throughout childhood leukemia treatment.