Term of Award
Winter 2024
Degree Name
Doctor of Public Health (Dr.P.H.)
Document Type and Release Option
Dissertation (restricted to Georgia Southern)
Copyright Statement / License for Reuse
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Department
Jiann-Ping Hsu College of Public Health
Committee Chair
William Mase
Committee Member 1
Helen Bland
Committee Member 2
Kelly Sullivan
Committee Member 3
Ashley Colquitt
Abstract
Parents and caregivers of children and youth with special health care needs (CYSHCN) experience stress and anxiety unique to the circumstances that often come with the responsibility of caring for their children. This population-based study used a mixed-methods design to identify factors that impact the mental health status unique to parents and caregivers of children and youth with special health care needs enrolled in the Children’s Medical Services (CMS) program in Georgia, through the assessment of general health, social support, and parental stress. This study highlighted the levels of the social ecological model (SEM) in which the greatest number of factors extracted from qualitative data were classified in hopes of providing insight into developing interventions to combat stress among this population. Overall, parents and caregivers with children enrolled in the CMS program perceived themselves as having good health and good social support. While most parents and caregivers surveyed are impacted by stress, the average stress was at a moderate level (mean = 53). Due to majority of the factors being categorized on the individual and policy levels, it is vital to conduct further research involving the assessment and evaluation of policies and procedures of CMS and similar programs, along with gaining more in-depth insight from parents and caregivers, in hopes of collaboratively making necessary adjustments to meet the needs of parents and caregivers of children with special needs.
Recommended Citation
Johnson, Alysia O., "The Stress of Parents and Caregivers of Children and Youth with Special Health Care Needs Enrolled in the Children's Medical Services Program in Georgia" (2024). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 2854.
https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/etd/2854
Research Data and Supplementary Material
No
