What about the parents? Sleep quality, mood, saliva cortisol response and sense of coherence in parents with a child admitted to pediatric care

.................................................................................................. 1 SVENSK SAMMANFATTNING ................................................................... 3 LIST OF PAPERS .......................................................................................... 5 ABBREVIATIONS ........................................................................................ 6 PREFACE ...................................................................................................... 7 INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................... 9 BACKGROUND ........................................................................................... 11 Families in pediatric care ...................................................................... 11 Parents with children in hospital ............................................................ 11 To become parent to a preterm infant .................................................... 12 Hospital-based home care for children .................................................. 12 Sleep ..................................................................................................... 14 Sleep physiology ..................................................................................... 14 Sleep quality ............................................................................................ 15 Mood .................................................................................................... 16 Stress .................................................................................................... 17 Stressors .................................................................................................. 17 Stress physiology ..................................................................................... 17 Saliva cortisol ......................................................................................... 19 Sleep, mood and stress in parents of children in need of medical care .. 20 Coping and sense of coherence ............................................................ 21 Health-related quality of life ................................................................ 23 Theoretical framework ......................................................................... 23 Parents’ dual roles when they care for a child ....................................... 23 Family-centered care and child-centered care ....................................... 24 Rationale for this thesis ....................................................................... 27 AIMS ........................................................................................................... 29