Adjustment of Parents of Children with Asthma or Type 1 Diabetes
type: CreativeWork
description: Adjustment of parents of children with a chronic illness is an under-researched area, particularly using qualitative methodology. This is the case in relation to all chronic childhood illnesses, including asthma and Type 1 diabetes. These two illnesses are both increasing in prevalence and are highly relevant exemplars of illnesses that have a significant daily impact on the lives of children, parents and families. A mixed categorical / non-categorical approach was taken in this study, which has the advantage of highlighting both illness-specific and general features of parents’ experience of the child’s illness. Understanding these similarities and differences will help clinicians to focus parent and family support appropriately and also will help stimulate and inform future research efforts. Two further issues that influenced the aims of this study are the lack of theoretical coherence and poor clarity with regard to the meaning of parental adjustment and factors that influence it. The aim of this qualitative study was to investigate the adjustment of parents of children with asthma or Type 1 diabetes, and through this, to develop new theory about parents’ adjustment. This theory was intended to help explain the parents’ experience of adjustment and identify factors relevant to their adjustment outcomes. A grounded theory approach was used, set within a constructivist paradigm. The purposive sample included 32 mothers, 7 fathers and one grandmother of a child with asthma or Type 1 diabetes. Findings from observations of three multi-disciplinary team meetings following clinics and interviews with three specialist nurses and a support group leader contributed to refinements made to the parent semi-structured interview schedule. In-depth semi-structured interviews were used to investigate respondents’ perspectives in relation to their experience of the child’s illness and illness episodes, and the effects on their own and family life. Data were analysed using themati…
abstract: Adjustment of parents of children with a chronic illness is an under-researched area, particularly using qualitative methodology. This is the case in relation to all chronic childhood illnesses, including asthma and Type 1 diabetes. These two illnesses are both increasing in prevalence and are highly relevant exemplars of illnesses that have a significant daily impact on the lives of children, parents and families. A mixed categorical / non-categorical approach was taken in this study, which has the advantage of highlighting both illness-specific and general features of parents’ experience of the child’s illness. Understanding these similarities and differences will help clinicians to focus parent and family support appropriately and also will help stimulate and inform future research efforts. Two further issues that influenced the aims of this study are the lack of theoretical coherence and poor clarity with regard to the meaning of parental adjustment and factors that influence it. The aim of this qualitative study was to investigate the adjustment of parents of children with asthma or Type 1 diabetes, and through this, to develop new theory about parents’ adjustment. This theory was intended to help explain the parents’ experience of adjustment and identify factors relevant to their adjustment outcomes. A grounded theory approach was used, set within a constructivist paradigm. The purposive sample included 32 mothers, 7 fathers and one grandmother of a child with asthma or Type 1 diabetes. Findings from observations of three multi-disciplinary team meetings following clinics and interviews with three specialist nurses and a support group leader contributed to refinements made to the parent semi-structured interview schedule. In-depth semi-structured interviews were used to investigate respondents’ perspectives in relation to their experience of the child’s illness and illness episodes, and the effects on their own and family life. Data were analysed using themati…
author: Oldfield, Sandra J.
language: en
date published: 2010
date modified: 2026-07-24T03:43:12Z
provider: Oxford Brookes University
publisher: Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations
type: WebPage
source organization: Oxford Brookes University