Parents’ Knowledge and Practices Regarding Stress Management in School Children of District Rawalpindi, Pakistan

This study aimed to measure the knowledge of parents and identified their practices regarding stress management in their school going children. A cross-sectional descriptive study was carried out in District Rawalpindi, Pakistan using an online questionnaire. The population size consisted of all the parents of school going children in District Rawalpindi. The collected data were analyzed through SPSS software by applying t-test and one-way ANOVA. The difference between parents’ knowledge about stress and their stress management strategies was evaluated on the basis of demographic variables. The current study calculated a higher percentage (57.3%) of parents’ scores on the overall knowledge scale, although more than half of the parents ­ exhibited poor knowledge on two subscales, that is, stress (52.4%) and stress management strategies (61.2%). The scores of older parents were significantly higher than the younger ones. Good nutrition, proper meals, and proper rest were identified as the most commonly practiced stress management strategies. It was determined that opposite genders and different age groups were practicing similar strategies, with no statistically significant difference in scores on the practices of stress management scale. Lack of proper knowledge and wrong practices indulged in by a large number of parents highlight the need for awareness campaigns to improve parents’ knowledge regarding stress and management practices in their children. Keywords: parents’ knowledge, Pakistan, school children, stress management