Exploring fathers' perspectives on family-centered services for families of children with disabilities

From Survival to Growth - The Coping Experience of Mothers of Children with Disabilities During a Global Crisis: The Case of COVID-19

This study explored the coping experiences of mothers of children with disabilities during the COVID-19 pandemic in Israel. Semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted with 14 mothers. The data were thematically analyzed to gain in-depth understanding of their coping experiences. The findings indicated that COVID-related restrictions disrupted the family routine and added a significant burden for the mothers as primary caregivers, and for the family system as a whole. Three distinct types of coping experiences arose from the analysis: surviving the crisis, controlling the crisis, and growing out of the crisis. Three key elements differentiated these three types: the perceptions of the meaning of the pandemic for parental roles and of the response of the education and welfare systems to the children's needs - in routine and during COVID-19; coping with the different pandemic challenges; and the implications of both COVID-19 and the mothers' coping strategies for the functional and emotional status of their children, themselves, and family relations. The results are discussed in light of models of family stress and coping, focusing on the tension between the mothers' caregiving role and maternal roles as warranting particular attention by professionals and policymakers.

Impact of family-centered care in families with children with intellectual disability: A systematic review

Background

Family-Centered Care (FCC) is an approach to healthcare planning, delivery and evaluation, based on beneficial partnerships between health professionals, patients and families. FCC may be particularly relevant for families with children with intellectual disability (ID), given their needs of continuum care.

Objective

To identify which components of the FCC are practiced and which health outcomes are considered effective in families with children with ID.

Method

A systematic review guided by the PRISMA STATEMENT 2020 approach and the STROBE reporting guidelines was performed on specific databases through the EBSCOhost Web platform: MEDLINE with Full Text, CINAHL PLUS with Full Text, Academic Search Complete and Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection. Peer-reviewed articles published in English or Portuguese languages from 2018 to September 2023 were retrieved. Methodological quality was established using the Quality Assessment Tool for Observational, Cohort and Cross-Sectional Studies - NHLBI, NIH.

Results

Ten studies met the eligibility criteria and were synthetized. The results revealed nine components, reflecting the way FCC was developed: shared decision-making; family education; respect for culture; family engagement; recognition of the family's needs, characteristics and interests; specialized care support; social and emotional support; family functionality; and family seen as a unit. The health outcomes demonstrate effective gains in improving children's health through family satisfaction with health services. Also achieved psychological and social benefits, with improved family well-being and quality of life, favoring family empowerment.

Conclusions

The evidence suggests that FCC components involves an effective partnership between the family and health professionals as the main key in developing care plans, as well as the experience that the family unit brings to the delivery of care. FCC approach include all family members as decision-makers, providing emotional, physical and instrumental levels of support. Health outcomes emerged in three strands; for children with ID, families and health services.

Analysis of the Functioning of Families of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Psychometric Study of the Family APGAR Scale

Normalised family functioning is a predictor of individual well-being. The diagnosis of a family member with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) can alter the ordinary dynamics of family systems, having a variable impact on family functioning. This research employed a non-probability convenience sampling method to gather a sample of 327 families with and without children diagnosed with ASD. This study has dual objectives: to analyse the psychometric properties of the Spanish version of the Family APGAR Scale and to compare family functioning in families with and without a child with ASD. The results reveal several favourable psychometric properties in the application of the APGAR scale within families of children with ASD. The use of the Family APGAR Scale in the selected sample confirms that the functioning of families with children with ASD can be categorized as mildly dysfunctional, attributed to the inherent challenges in caring for and raising a child with ASD. The presence of ASD within family systems presents a challenge to typical family functioning, with significant differences observed between families with and without children with ASD. This underscores the necessity of implementing effective intervention programs based on empirical evidence to improve the quality of life for individuals with ASD and their families.