Meaning Making While Your Child is in Intensive Care

A quarter of a million children and teenagers are hospitalized annually in Pediatric Intensive Care Units (PICUs) in North America. Having a child hospitalized in a PICU is stressful and affects the mood and coping of their parents. The investigators' prior work has shown how narrative medicine may help. Narrative medicine includes at least one session reading and then having a guided discussion of a poem or short story. The readings are individually selected by the Narrative Medicine Coordinator who also provides a guided writing exercise (in the form of poetry, creative non-fiction, journaling, or fiction). After writing, the parent/guardian had the option to share their writing out loud with the Narrative Medicine Coordinator. At the end of each session, the parent/guardian receives personalized writing prompts they are encouraged to use writing each day. The Investigators want to see how this session helps parents make sense of their time in the PICU and how it may help them cope. The investigators ask participants to fill out some surveys when they enroll and three days after their session.

Inclusion Criteria:Legal guardian 18 years or older of a child under age 18 years in the PICU at time of enrollment and on PICU serviceAble to read and write EnglishPatient PICU admission is minimum of hospitalization day 5Exclusion Criteria:Child admitted to PICU as overflow from any other critical care area and/or not on PICU serviceParent is an Akron Children's Hospital Palliative Care employeeParent/legal guardian is less than 18 years oldSpouse or partner enrolled in a writing intervention studyEnrollment in this study on a prior PICU admission