ERIC Number: EJ1365480
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2022
Pages: 12
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1366-8250
EISSN: EISSN-1469-9532
Available Date: N/A
eHealth Content-Sharing and Emotional Support among Italian Parents of Children with Down Syndrome: A Qualitative Report
Boursier, Valentina; Gioia, Francesca; Coppola, Federica; Schimmenti, Adriano
Journal of Intellectual & Developmental Disability, v47 n3 p240-251 2022
Parents of children with special healthcare needs search the Internet to learn about and share health-related information. Indeed, online communities (OCs) often increase knowledge and skills, decreasing feelings of isolation and distress. The current study explored the content and functioning of an Italian OC comprising parents of children with Down Syndrome. Following a netnographic method, data were analysed through the Latent Thematic Analysis. Five main themes emerged: the e-group, the child, prescriptive knowhow, being a parent, and personal experience across time. The findings illustrated the complex relationship between parents and children with Down Syndrome within the OC, exploring psychological themes recurring in parents of children with Down Syndrome. Within the e-group, special children and parental challenges can be described, sharing concerns, conflicting emotions, and experience-based information, countering Down Syndrome difficulties and social isolation. Clinicians and healthcare professionals should consider the OCs-related advantages to enhance the healthcare of parents and children with Down Syndrome.
Descriptors: Foreign Countries, Parents, Access to Information, Information Dissemination, Child Health, Computer Mediated Communication, Internet, Down Syndrome, Parent Child Relationship, Barriers, Family Needs, Parent Attitudes, Emotional Response, Social Support Groups, Coping
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Italy
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A