The mediating role of family burden in the association between family functioning and post-traumatic stress symptoms among parents of children with leukemia in Xinjiang, China: a cross-sectional study

Purpose To analyze the current levels of post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) among parents of children with leukemia in Xinjiang, China, and to explore the mediating role of family burden in the association between family function and PTSS. Methods A cross-sectional survey was conducted with 209 parents of children with leukemia from a tertiary hospital in Xinjiang, China. Participants completed a social demographic questionnaire, the Family APGAR Index, the Family Burden Scale of Disease, and the post-traumatic stress disorder Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5). Multiple linear regression analysis was performed to identify factors associated with PTSS. Structural equation modeling was used to verify the mediating effect of family burden. Results Family income, disease duration, family function, and family burden were significantly associated with PTSS. PTSS was negatively associated with family function ( r = -0.571, P  < 0.001) and positively associated with family burden ( r  = 0.523, P  < 0.001). Family burden mediated the relationship between family functioning and PTSS. Family function had an indirect effect on PTSS through family burden ( β = −0.173, 95% confidence interval: -0.296, -0.088, P  = 0.001). Conclusion Our findings emphasize the mediating role of family burden in the relationship between family function and PTSS among parents of children with leukemia. Health professionals should develop targeted family-centered care measures to ameliorate family function and decrease family burden, thus improving parents’ mental health.