This study examined parent and nurse perceptions of parent stressors in a pediatric intensive care unit using the Parental Stressor Scale Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PSS PICU) and standardized interviews of parents A total of 41 parents and 34 nurses participated Nurses expected parents to be more stressed by every dimension of the PSS PICU than parents rated their own stress Parents felt most stressed by the dimension relating to their childs behavioral and emotional responses, although nurses expected parents to be most concerned about staff communication and parental role alteration issues Implications for clinical practice are discussed The nurses never made us feel that we were in the way, even though we probably were They always encouraged us to stay there It would be OK to rub him and touch him and to talk to him Since you can't do anything else, and you re totally helpless and you have to depend on what everybody else says, you re hoping that everything you do is the best, but to be able to just stand there and keep that contact with that baby After he dred, they let us stay in one of the special rooms They let us hold him until we could let him go (Mother of a 3-month-old boy with congenital heart disease).