ERIC Number: EJ1388105
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2023
Pages: 11
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1366-8250
EISSN: EISSN-1469-9532
Available Date: N/A
"Continuously Struggling for Balance": The Lived Experiences of Dutch Parents Caring for Children with Profound Intellectual and Multiple Disabilities
Geuze, Liesbeth; Goossensen, Anne; Schrevel, Samuel
Journal of Intellectual & Developmental Disability, v48 n2 p161-171 2023
Background: Parents of children with profound intellectual and multiple disabilities (PIMD) have extensive care duties. This study describes the phenomenon "parenting a child with PIMD." Method: We conducted in-depth interviews with 25 Dutch parents. A reflective lifeworld research was used. Findings: The essential meaning of the phenomenon was understood as "continuously struggling to create and maintain new equilibriums that protect the child and the family from hardship; changing in context through time." The following eight constituents were identified: (1) medical complexity; (2) multidimensional weariness; (3) care for siblings; (4) social connectedness; (5) uncertainty about the future; (6) wrecking bureaucracy; (7) dependency on healthcare delivery; and (8) financial concerns. Conclusions: Healthcare services should provide families with easy access to assistive technology and services needed to manage family life. Responsiveness to parents' challenges offers them the possibility to participate in society. Healthcare professionals should address the parents' perspectives related to the child's quality of life.
Descriptors: Foreign Countries, Children, Parent Attitudes, Child Rearing, Severe Intellectual Disability, Multiple Disabilities, Barriers, Health Needs, Chronic Illness, Fatigue (Biology), Siblings, Interpersonal Relationship, Access to Health Care, Costs, Family Needs, Administrative Organization
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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: Netherlands
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A