Impact of Family-Centred Care Combined With Psychological Intervention on Sleep Quality and Psychological Status in Children With Bronchopneumonia: A Controlled Trial.
Cen M, Xu J, et al. • Scandinavian journal of caring sciences • 2026
FCC combined with psychological intervention effectively enhances sleep quality, mitigates anxiety, promotes treatment adherence and improves family satisfaction among children with bronchopneumonia.
Key Findings
Results
Family satisfaction with nursing services was significantly higher in the intervention group receiving FCC and psychological intervention compared to the control group receiving routine nursing care.
Overall family satisfaction rate was 83.33% in the intervention group versus 41.67% in the control group
Difference was statistically significant (p < 0.001)
120 paediatric bronchopneumonia patients were randomly allocated into intervention and control groups (60 per group)
Control group received routine nursing care only
Results
Children's anxiety scores as measured by the Multidimensional Anxiety Scale for Children (MASC) were significantly lower in the intervention group after treatment.
Post-intervention MASC scores: 41.75 ± 6.80 in the intervention group versus 73.47 ± 6.90 in the control group
Both groups showed a decline in MASC scores from baseline after intervention
Difference between groups was statistically significant (p < 0.05)
MASC was used to assess children's psychological status before and after the intervention
Results
Children's depression scores as measured by the Children's Depression Inventory (CDI) were significantly lower in the intervention group after treatment.
Post-intervention CDI scores: 14.13 ± 2.91 in the intervention group versus 28.73 ± 3.48 in the control group
Both groups showed a decline in CDI scores from baseline after intervention
Difference between groups was statistically significant (p < 0.05)
CDI was used alongside MASC to assess children's psychological status before and after the intervention
Results
Treatment compliance was significantly higher in the intervention group compared to the control group.
Full compliance rate was 58.33% in the intervention group versus 25.00% in the control group
Difference was statistically significant (p < 0.001)
Treatment compliance was one of the primary outcomes evaluated in the study
Results
Sleep quality improvement as measured by the modified Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) was more pronounced in the intervention group than in the control group.
Post-intervention ESS scores: 8.42 ± 1.92 in the intervention group versus 11.52 ± 1.84 in the control group
Difference was statistically significant (p < 0.001)
Sleep quality was assessed using the modified Epworth Sleepiness Scale
Results
The incidence of nursing-related safety events during hospitalisation showed a decreasing trend in the intervention group compared to the control group, though this did not reach statistical significance.
Safety event incidence was 0.00% in the intervention group versus 5.00% in the control group
The difference did not reach statistical significance (p = 0.079)
The result was described as 'a decreasing trend'
Safety events during hospitalisation were a pre-specified comparison outcome between groups
Methods
The study employed a controlled trial design with central randomization and double-blind methodology using a computer-generated sequence.
120 paediatric bronchopneumonia patients were allocated into intervention and control groups
Allocation details were stored in a central system
Nursing staff remained blinded to group assignment during care implementation
Subjects, outcome assessors, and data analysts maintained blinding throughout the study period
Group assignment was verified through the central data system following allocation
What This Means
This research suggests that combining family-centred care (FCC) with psychological support can meaningfully improve outcomes for children hospitalised with bronchopneumonia, a common childhood lung infection. In a controlled trial of 120 children, those whose families were actively involved in their care and who received psychological support alongside standard treatment showed significantly better results across multiple measures: they had lower anxiety and depression scores, slept better, and were more likely to follow their treatment plans than children who received routine nursing care alone. Families in the intervention group also reported much higher satisfaction with nursing services (83% versus 42%).
This research suggests that simply treating the physical illness may not be enough — addressing the emotional and psychological needs of children and their families during hospitalisation can have a substantial impact on the child's wellbeing and cooperation with treatment. The approach appeared safe, with no nursing-related safety events occurring in the intervention group during hospitalisation, compared to 5% in the control group, though this difference was not statistically significant. These findings provide practical evidence supporting the integration of family-centred and psychological care approaches into routine paediatric nursing practice for children with bronchopneumonia.
Cen M, Xu J, Chen Y, Liu X, Xu J, You H, et al.. (2026). Impact of Family-Centred Care Combined With Psychological Intervention on Sleep Quality and Psychological Status in Children With Bronchopneumonia: A Controlled Trial.. Scandinavian journal of caring sciences. https://doi.org/10.1111/scs.70167