Do problem-solving skills help mitigate emotional distress through perceived control and self-efficacy in parents of children with cancer?

Abstract

Introduction Parents of children with cancer face psychological challenges that can result in significant distress. It has been found that problem-solving (PS) could mitigate emotional distress (ED) in this population, but mechanisms of this relation are poorly understood. This study aimed to assess whether there is a link between PS and ED through perceived control and self-efficacy.

Methods We included 119 parents (67 mothers, 52 fathers, including 50 couples) whose child was diagnosed with cancer. We evaluated whether PS was associated with ED through perceived control and self-efficacy in couples of parents.

Results We found no direct association between PS and ED (β = −0.01, p = 0.92). Our results indicated a significant indirect effect between ED and PS with perceived control as the intermediary variable (β = −0.24, p < 0.001, 95% CI [−0.41, −0.11]). However, there was no indirect association between ED and PS with self-efficacy as the intermediary variable (β = −0.04, p = 0.26, 95% CI [−0.11, 0.09]). The effect size was large in magnitude (R2 = 0.59 for ED).

Conclusion The mitigating role of PS on ED is better explained by an enhanced experience of control than by improved self-efficacy. Future interventions should directly target the action mechanism behind PS and ED in both mothers and fathers by targeting their perceived control.