Evidence map›Paper›PMID 37461310›Full record

SynthesisPalliative medicine2023

The spiritual dimension of parenting a child with a life-limiting or life-threatening condition: A mixed-methods systematic review.

Marijanne Engel, Marije A Brouwer, Nienke Jansen, Carlo Leget, Saskia Ccm Teunissen, Marijke C Kars

Open access · hybridAbstract readSystematic Review
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Palliative medicine, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 9 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
9citing papers in PubMed
4.6field-weighted citation impact, top 5% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

9 citing papers in PubMed, 16 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Article
  2. Article
  3. Review
  4. Article
  5. Journal of clinical medicine · 2025
    Article
  6. Article
  7. Article
  8. Article
  9. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Marijanne EngelJulius Center for Health Sciences and Primary Care, Center of Expertise in Palliative Care Utrecht, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands.ORCID 0000-0003-3625-7839
Marije A BrouwerJulius Center for Health Sciences and Primary Care, Center of Expertise in Palliative Care Utrecht, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
Nienke JansenFaculty of Medicine, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
Carlo LegetDepartment of Care Ethics, University of Humanistic Studies, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
Saskia Ccm TeunissenJulius Center for Health Sciences and Primary Care, Center of Expertise in Palliative Care Utrecht, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
Marijke C KarsJulius Center for Health Sciences and Primary Care, Center of Expertise in Palliative Care Utrecht, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands.ORCID 0000-0001-5680-4559
Utrecht University · NLUniversity of Humanistic Studies · NL

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundSpirituality refers to the dynamic dimension of human life that relates to the way that persons experience meaning, purpose, and transcendence. The complex task of parenting a child with a life-limiting condition may raise existential questions, which are easily overlooked by healthcare professionals.

aimWe explored how the spiritual dimension becomes manifest in parents of children in pediatric palliative care.

designA mixed-methods systematic review was conducted, registered in Prospero (2021 CRD42021285318). DATA SOURCES: PubMed, CINAHL, Embase, PsycInfo, and Cochrane were searched for articles published between January 1, 2015 and January 1, 2023. We included original empirical studies that reported on spirituality of parents of seriously ill children, from parents' perspectives.

resultsSixty-three studies were included: 22 North-American, 19 Asian, 13 European, 9 other. Studies varied in defining spirituality. We identified five different aspects of spirituality: religion, hope, parental identity, personal development, and feeling connected with others. All aspects could function as source of spirituality or cause of spiritual concern. Sources of spirituality helped parents to give meaning to their experiences and made them feel supported. However, parents also reported struggling with spiritual concerns. Several parents highlighted their need for professional support.

conclusionsAlthough studies vary in defining spirituality, reports on spirituality focus on how parents connect to their faith, others, and themselves as parents. Healthcare professionals can support parents by paying attention to the spiritual process parents are going through. More research is needed into how healthcare professionals can support parents of seriously ill children in this process.

Indexed as

ParentingReligionChildHumansPalliative CareParentsSpiritualityPalliative careparentspediatricsspiritualitysystematic review

Identifiers

PMID37461310
PMCPMC10548770
OpenAlexW4384626041

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.