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Factors associated with the adaptation of parents with a chronically ill child
Author(s) -
Hentinen Maija,
Kyngäs Helvi
Publication year - 1998
Publication title -
journal of clinical nursing
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.94
H-Index - 102
eISSN - 1365-2702
pISSN - 0962-1067
DOI - 10.1046/j.1365-2702.1998.00154.x
Subject(s) - adaptation (eye) , coping (psychology) , emotional support , developmental psychology , medicine , social support , psychology , clinical psychology , chronic disease , family medicine , social psychology , neuroscience
• The purpose of this paper is to describe the adaptation of parents who have a child with a chronic condition and some factors connected to it. • Data were collected by a questionnaire from 189 parents who had a child with a chronic condition, such as diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis or asthma. Most (85%) of the responses were from mothers. • The data were analysed using factor analysis. A four‐factor model turned out to describe best the adaptation of the parents and their coping with the care of a chronically ill child. Two factors showed good adaptation and two poor adaptation. • Emotional and instrumental support were connected to adaptation on each of the four factors. • Support from health care staff and the parents' need to obtain more information were not connected to adaptation as clearly as emotional and instrumental support. • Parents wished for support more in families where the child was under nine years old than in families where the child was over nine years old.