‘I am everything but myself’: exploring visual voice accounts of single mothers caring for a daughter with Rett syndrome

Psychological aspects of being a parent of an individual with Rett syndrome: A scoping review

BACKGROUND

Rett syndrome (RTT) causes multiple disabilities with a lifelong need for substantial care, placing a tremendous lifelong responsibility on the parents. Parenting an individual with RTT can therefore be challenging. Research on the psychological aspects of parenting individuals with RTT is limited and unclear. We aimed to identify and map the existing literature on this subject.

METHOD

A scoping review was conducted with systematic searches in PubMed, PsycINFO and CINAHL.

RESULTS

Eighteen studies were included. Negative and positive psychological aspects were described with the majority focusing on the negative. Three factors seemed to especially affect the parents: severity of the diagnosis, time (increasing age of parents or individual with RTT; years of caretaking), work-status of the mother.

CONCLUSIONS

Seemingly, parents are highly affected; however, the literature is scarce and has several gaps. Future research should include older parents, fathers, parents of individuals living in group homes, and positive aspects.

Parental stress and adjustment in the context of rare genetic syndromes: A scoping review

Chromosomal abnormalities are now considered a common cause of intellectual disability. With increased genetic testing, phenotyping and technological advancements, many new syndromes have been identified. This review sought to explore parental stress and adjustment in the context of rare genetic syndromes to evaluate their clinical impact. A systematic review of English peer-reviewed literature across three databases (PsycINFO, Medline, CINAHL) was completed and 69 articles were included. Parents of children with rare genetic syndromes experienced greater distress relative to other disabilities. Differences in parental wellbeing were syndrome-specific relative to ASD thus demonstrating the need to consider the contribution of syndrome-specific phenotypes. Child emotional and behavioural difficulties were the most consistent predictor of parental distress. Research reflecting other factors such as physical health, syndrome-specific behaviours, benefit finding and, parental appraisal in the context of a rare genetic aetiology is required in order to support parental adjustment in these conditions.

Acceptance, grief and adaptation amongst caregivers of partners with acquired brain injury: an interpretative phenomenological enquiry

PURPOSE

Families provide vital support to relatives with brain injury yet shoulder significant stress and anxiety with little help threatening family cohesion and rehabilitative outcomes. This paper analyses the accounts of people caring for a long-term partner with brain injury to identify coping mechanisms and support systems that enhanced well-being. Materials and method: This study used semi-structured interviews with eight participants and interpretative phenomenological analysis. Results: Three themes are reported-"moving through denial toward acceptance"; "confronting and managing ambiguous loss"; and "becoming an expert carer". Theme one describes participants' struggles to accept the longevity of brain injury and use of strenuous care practices to deny or fight disability; this proved counterproductive and was later remedied by individuals embracing change and making adaptations. Theme two reports how participants split their partners' identities -before and after brain injury- to help grieve for the marital relationships they lost. Theme three looks at participants' development of self-reliant attitudes to caregiving due to perceived limited state help, while embracing peer support that enhanced information and emotion-based coping. Conclusions: Findings support therapeutic practices that help family members confront the permanence of brain injury, and target feelings of complex and unresolved grief. Future research proposals are discussed.IMPLICATIONS FOR REHABILITATION:Caregivers typically provide considerable rehabilitative support to spouses living with Acquired Brain Injury to manage the physical and psychosocial burdens of long-term disability.Therapeutic interventions should reconcile notions of hope and acceptance in order to help carers confront the permanence of brain injury and develop sustainable care practices.We recommend that interventions address feelings of unresolved grief and ambiguous loss and develop tailored support for caregivers which targets pertinent psychological concerns.