Health professionals' attitudes toward parent participation in hospitalized children's care.

This study explored the relation of personal and professional characteristics to the attitudes of health professionals toward parent participation. A random sample of members of the Association for the Care of Children's Health completed the Parent Participation Questionnaire. Attitudes were more accepting in subjects who were parents (p < .01), ever married (p < .05), educators (p < .01); older (p < .01), more experienced (p < .01), and/or had a higher level of education (p < .01). Health professionals need to develop means of creating positive attitudes that are not based solely on an individual's characteristics. These, however, can be mediated through several strategies--for example, role modeling, sharing, and education.