Family management style and the challenge of moving from conceptualization to measurement

Family management structural model for children with atopic dermatitis

PURPOSE

To construct a structural model of family management for children with atopic dermatitis.

DESIGN AND METHODS

In this cross-sectional study, data were collected using a structured questionnaire. Participants included primary caregivers of children aged 2-12 years who had received a medical diagnosis of atopic dermatitis and had been experiencing the condition for over three months. We used SPSS/WIN 26.0 to analyze the variables and AMOS 23.0 for structural equation modeling.

RESULTS

Family functioning resilience, social support, and family coping had significant direct effects on family management. Illness severity, illness duration, and family life difficulty indirectly influenced family management, demonstrating significant total effects. The severity and duration of atopic dermatitis, family life difficulty, family functioning resilience, social support, and family coping explained 78.9% of the model.

CONCLUSIONS

The final model was suitable for predicting family management for children with atopic dermatitis. By confirming mediating effects, this study contributes to enhancing family management through nursing interventions. These findings offer valuable insights for developing family-centered nursing strategies to improve family management for children with atopic dermatitis.

PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS

Nursing interventions targeting the alleviation of family management challenges and enhancement of family functioning resilience, social support, and family coping are pivotal for improving the well-being of children with atopic dermatitis. Furthermore, tailored intervention development must take into account not only the severity and illness duration of atopic dermatitis in children but also the characteristics of the family. Improving family nursing through such tailored interventions can help enhance children's health and quality of life.

Perception of precocious puberty among school-aged children in South Korea with the experience of treatment for precocious puberty: a Q methodological approach

PURPOSE

This study aimed to investigate the perceptions of precocious puberty and elucidate the distinct characteristics of each type of perception related to precocious puberty among school-aged children who had undergone treatment for the condition.

METHODS

This study applied the Q methodology to identify and classify the perceptions of precocious puberty among school-aged children who had undergone treatment for the condition. The analysis involved 34 questions from the Q sample and data from 35 individuals in the P sample, using the PC-QUANL Program for analysis.

RESULTS

The perceptions of precocious puberty among school-aged children who had undergone precocious puberty treatment were classified into the following four types: "shyness - passive self-management," "resentment - suppression," "anxiety - fear," and "adaptation - acceptance."

CONCLUSION

This study investigated the experiences and perceptions of children who have undergone treatment for precocious puberty. Through the identification of four types of perceptions, we can see that there is a need to develop an intervention program for nursing that is tailored to the specific type of precocious puberty.

Beyond Colloquial Use: A Concept Analysis of Family Care Management in A Chronic-Conditions Context

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Family care management is a colloquial concept that is widely applied to health and social care worldwide. Despite that the concept has been in use in a variety of contexts for decades, a substantial number of scientific papers apply it with seemingly little consistency. In this study, we therefore report a concept analysis of family care management within a chronic-conditions context from the nursing perspective.

METHODS

A review of recent nursing and health-related literature covering the years 2000-2020 was performed on the concepts of family care, family nursing, family management, and care management. Nineteen studies were extracted for this analysis. Utilizing the Walker and Avant concept-analysis strategy, we defined attributes and analyzed the antecedents and their consequences.

RESULTS

The concept is defined from the perspective of health professionals. Five key attributes of family care management were identified: supervising situations, providing guidance, creating partnerships, a philosophical foundation, and a management style. Antecedents to the conductance of family care management included chronic health status, demographic and socioeconomic factors, and shortage of resources. The outcome of family care management was then described with respect to both positive and negative aspects.

IMPLICATION FOR PRACTICE

Family care management is a highly abstract concept. We described two sub-concepts in need of clarification, including dynamic management behavior and a static management frame. Without a clear understanding of family care management, the concept is at risk of being relegated to a vague colloquial expression. Developing a theory of family care management might position the concept in a theoretical context, and could provide health providers with a point of reference for meaningful family care management strategies within their practices.

Parental experiences of their infant's hospital admission undergoing cardiac surgery: A systematic review

AIM

To explore parents' experiences of parenting a child hospitalised with congenital heart disease (CHD) and undergoing surgery.

METHODS

Five electronic databases were systematically searched for articles describing the experiences of parents with a child with a CHD. A thematic analysis approach was used to identify the most common themes.

RESULTS

A total of 188 articles were identified. Eight studies were included in the review. Four themes emerged, including balancing the parental role, experiencing anticipatory grief, decreasing parental stress using coping strategies and professional support.

CONCLUSION

Having a child with CHD undergoing heart surgery is a stressful experience due to, among other things, the different situation-related parenting role during the hospital stay and feelings of anticipatory grief. Healthcare professionals in the PICU have an essential role in supporting parents and understanding the needs that are crucial for the parents in order to provide better support and reduce stress and anxiety. More qualitative research regarding the pathway from the prenatal diagnosis through the early childhood period is warranted.

[Mothers' Experiences of Caring for Children with Precocious Puberty: A Q-Methodological Approach]

PURPOSE

This study explored experiences of mothers caring for children with precocious puberty.

METHODS

Q-methodology was used for analyzing individual subjectivity. Seventy Q-statements were selected and scored by 50 participants on an 11-point scale. The collected data were analyzed using the PC QUANL program.

RESULTS

The following eight types of care experiences of mothers of children with precocious puberty were identified: Type I-1: hypersensitive and best-result oriented, Type I-2: treatment burden, Type II-1: treatment-oriented, Type II-2: self-blame, Type III-1: accepting and compliant, Type III-2: treatment confused, Type IV-1: serious and engaged, and Type IV-2: naturalism-oriented.

CONCLUSION

These results can help develop specific education programs based on types of care experiences for the promotion of care among mothers of children with precocious puberty.

Measuring Family Members' Experiences of Integrating Chronic Illness Into Family Life: Preliminary Validity and Reliability of the Family Integration Experience Scale:Chronic Illness (FIES:CI)

Measures of family members' experiences of integrating chronic conditions (CC) or chronic illnesses (CI) into family life are needed to optimize family care. This article reports development and psychometric testing of the Family Integration Experience Scale: Chronic Illness (FIES:CI), a measure of family member perceptions of integrating CC or CI into evolving family life. Family Systems Nursing (FSN), the Reintegration Within Families in the Context of Chronic Illness Model, and measurement theory guided the study. Participants were those (N = 328) managing a CC or CI. Concurrent validity (r = +.629; p < .001) and discriminant validity, F(1, 155) = 7.09; p < .05, were demonstrated. Exploratory factor analysis revealed a two-dimensional model explaining 63.8% variance. Scale internal reliability was α = .70 and .785, and factor reliabilities were α = .798 (Factor 1) and α = .847 (Factor 2). Test-retest item and subscale correlations, while accounting for intra-family correlation, were acceptable. The FIES:CI contributes a valuable new measure of family integration in the context of CC or CI with preliminary validity and reliability as tested in these samples.

Exploring a broader context of the home environment and its relationship with asthma control in American Indian children

In this cross-sectional study of 60 American Indian mother-child dyads from Southeastern North Carolina, we examined whether childhood asthma control was related to household-level factors, such as environmental tobacco smoke and family management behaviors. We also examined the relationships among family management behaviors and maternal depressive symptoms. We used logistic regression to assess the relationships among childhood asthma control, the presence of environmental tobacco smoke, and family management behaviors, specifically condition management ability (CMA) and condition management effort (CME). We used linear regression to evaluate the relationships between both CMA and CME and maternal depressive symptoms. Better asthma control in children was associated with the absence of environmental tobacco smoke in the home and the maternal perception of asthma as a manageable condition. Mothers perceived an increase in effort to manage their child's asthma as their depressive symptoms increased. These findings emphasize the importance of environmental triggers, perceptions of condition management, and maternal mental health in controlling asthma in American Indian children. Interventions to reduce environmental triggers, treat maternal depressive symptoms, and support mothers in their ability to manage childhood asthma may yield better asthma control and help to reduce existing racial disparities in this population.

Association between family management and asthma control in children with asthma

PURPOSE

The purpose of this study is to investigate the association between family management and asthma control in children with asthma.

DESIGN AND METHODS

This cross-sectional descriptive study recruited 142 children with asthma and their parents. We used the Family Management Measure (FaMM), the Childhood Asthma Control Test (C-ACT), and fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) detectors to assess family management and asthma control. The McNemar's test was used to determine the proportional difference between C-ACT and FeNO in evaluating asthma control. Pearson correlation analysis and multiple linear regression analysis were used to assess the relationship between family management and asthma control in children with asthma.

RESULTS

There was no significant difference in the proportion of C-ACT and FeNO in evaluating asthma control (McNemar's test p = .593). Child's Daily Life, Condition Management Ability, and Parental Mutuality were positively correlated with C-ACT (r = 0.398 to 0.655; all p < .05) and negatively correlated with FeNO (r = -0.245 to -0.402; all p < .05); Condition Management Effort, Family Life Difficulty, and View of Condition Impact were negatively correlated with C-ACT (r = -0.416 to -0.672; all p < .05) and positively with FeNO (r = 0.248 to 0.427; all p < 0.05). Child's Daily Life, Condition Management Effort, and View of Condition Impact dimensions significantly predicted the C-ACT results, and the Condition Management Effort and View of Condition Impact dimensions significantly predicted the FeNO results (p < .05).

PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS

Pediatric nurses could provide family management education for parents to improve asthma control in children. In addition, pediatric nurses might assess asthma control condition of asthmatic children in combination with C-ACT and FeNO levels.

Family Management Style as a Mediator between Parenting Stress and Quality of Life of Children with Epilepsy

PURPOSE

To examine the possible relationship between parenting stress and quality of life of children with epilepsy together with the mediating effects of family management styles on this relationship.

DESIGN AND METHODS

We conducted a descriptive and exploratory study using data of participants were 93 parents with an epileptic child. Instruments were self-reported questionnaires including the Korean version of the Quality of Life (QOL) in Childhood Epilepsy Questionnaire (K-QOLCE), the Korean version of the Parenting Stress Index (PSI), and the Korean version of the Family Management Measure (FaMM). Six domains of FaMM were clustered into two domains: easy or difficult family management styles. Descriptive and Pearson correlation path analyses were used to analyze the data.

RESULTS

The direct effects of PSI on QOL were not significant (b = -0.21, t = -0.94, p = .349). Indirect effects of PSI through easy family management styles on QOL were significant (b = -0.33, 95% CI = [-0.77, -0.05]). Additionally, two other effects (i.e., indirect effects through difficult family management styles and direct effects) were non-significant. All effects of PSI on QOL were fully mediated through easy family management styles.

CONCLUSION

Easy family management styles are the most important factor in predicting QOL in childhood epilepsy patients.

PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS

Comprehensive intervention programs are recommended for parents and families of epileptic children to promote positive perceptions of the child's life and to increase parental management ability of the child's condition and parental mutuality.

"It's a Long-Term Process": Description of Daily Family Life When a Child Has a Feeding Disorder

Pediatric feeding problems occur in 25% of the general pediatric population and up to 80% of those who have developmental delays. When feeding problems place the child at nutritional risk, families are typically encouraged to increase their child's intake. Family mealtime can become a battle, which further reinforces problematic feeding behaviors from the child and intensifies well-intentioned but unguided parental mealtime efforts. Family has an essential influence on feeding; however, studies to date neglect to address the family context of feeding difficulty. In this study we describe, in the context of everyday life, family management of feeding when a child had a significant feeding problem. Parents of children with feeding problems were interviewed with the Family Management Style Framework components as a guide. Twelve parents participated, representing nine families of children with feeding disorder. Description of family management of feeding provides a foundation for development of family feeding interventions.

Validation of Family Management Measure for the Brazilian culture

ABSTRACT Etjective: To validate the Family Management Measure (FaMM) for Brazilian culture. Method: Quantitative research excerpt, following the recommendations for validation studies. The data presented refer to the last stage of the process. Results: The internal consistency of the items was analyzed through Cronbach's alpha of the six domains: Child's Daily Life (0.78); Condition Management Effort (0.51); Condition Management Ability (0.55); Family Life Difficulty (0.86); View of Condition Impact (0.56); and Parental Mutuality (0.80). Exploratory factorial analysis of the instrument was carried out, obtaining an acceptable adjustment, according to validation standards. Conclusion: The FaMM presents evidence of validation and can be used in the Brazilian culture under the name of Instrumento de Medida de Manejo Familiar, which was adjusted in eight domains, providing varied aspects of family management and a good evaluation of the fundamental aspects of family life in the context of childhood chronic conditions.

The Parenting Journey: Daily Parental Management in Families with Young Children

Transitioning to parenthood and establishing a family are significant life events, and although an expected and normal part of adult life, it is a time of stress, change, and learning. The family has been well-studied with regard to developmental norms and the diagnosis and treatment of physical, cognitive, and emotional problems. However, little is known about how parents of young children establish, manage, and maintain their families on a daily basis. Social constructivist grounded theory was used to examine day to day parental management in families with young children. A theory, adjusting and redefining priorities, was developed to explain how parents make decisions related to the health and well-being of family members. A group of 24 New Zealand parents was interviewed about their daily management in families where the eldest child was aged no older than 3 years. Findings of this study revealed that parents used 4 overarching and constantly interacting viewpoints to consider situations: the personal, the parent, the parent unit, and the family unit. Their learning went through cycles of intensity and relaxation as parents considered their short term and long term priorities. Sometimes major changes to family structures and processes were required to maintain family stability, and sometimes the adjustments needed were relatively minor. These dimensions contributed to parents' continuous efforts to meet the needs of all family members and to create a unique family environment that encompassed the guiding principles upon which parents made their decisions. This study highlights the need for health professionals to recognize the unique, complex and dynamic decision-making process parents are already engaged in when managing their families.

Cultural Influence on Family Management of Children With Cancer

A family's cultural context directly influences how they define and manage their child's cancer. Knowing this dynamic can guide nurses in delivering holistic, culturally competent care. This literature review examines the international and domestic pediatric oncology research as it relates to the inclusion of family and cultural variables. Most international studies and comparative studies have investigated Asian cultures and found that health beliefs, communication beliefs, religious practice, and family structure are common themes of cultural influences on families. Additional studies within the United States are needed to explore cultural beliefs through carefully tailored family assessments. Implications for practice include the possibility of providing evidence-based culturally competent care to families of children with cancer.

Cultural adaptation of the Family Management Measure among families of children and adolescents with chronic diseases

OBJECTIVES

to perform the cultural adaptation of the Family Management Measure into the Brazilian Portuguese language.

METHOD

the method complied with international recommendations for this type of study and was composed of the following steps: translation of the instrument into the Portuguese language; reaching consensus over the translated versions; assessment by an expert committee; back translation; and pretest.

RESULTS

these stages enabled us to obtain conceptual, by-item, semantic, idiomatic, and operational equivalences, in addition to content validation.

CONCLUSION

the Family Management Measure is adapted to the Brazilian Portuguese language and that version is named Instrumento de Medida de Manejo Familiar.

The relationships among family management behaviors and asthma morbidity in maternal caregivers of children with asthma

Numerous studies have identified the relationship of the family caregiver's perception regarding asthma management and the child's asthma outcomes, although few have examined family caregiver asthma management behaviors. The primary aim of this study was to examine the relationship among family management behaviors and asthma morbidity as perceived by maternal caregivers. The Family Management Style Framework was used to guide the research. Maternal caregivers (N = 101) with school-aged children diagnosed with persistent asthma and living in the United States were recruited from a specialty asthma clinic. When caregivers perceived they were expending much effort on their child's asthma management and were not confident in their ability to perform management activities, the child's asthma outcomes were worse. This is the first study to examine family management behaviors with maternal caregivers of school-aged children with asthma. Findings from this study encourage health care providers to tailor each educational opportunity with families to improve child asthma outcomes. An ongoing effort must be made to include families in asthma management. Health care partnerships between provider and family can lead to improved asthma management.

Facets of parenting a child with hypoplastic left heart syndrome

The purpose of the study was to conceptualize the needs of parents of young children with hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS) to provide a theoretical framework to inform the development of future parent interventions. Participants were parents and grandparents (n = 53) of 15 young children who had undergone the Sano surgical approach for HLHS. Analysis of recorded and transcribed single interviews with each participant was done as directed by interpretive description methodology. A model of five facets of parenting was conceptualized. These included survival parenting, “hands-off” parenting, expert parenting, uncertain parenting, and supported parenting. The facets of parenting delineated through this study provide a theoretical framework that can be used to guide the development and evaluation of interventions for parents of children with complex congenital heart disease and potentially other life-threatening conditions. Each facet constitutes a critical component for educational or psychosocial intervention for parents.

Family management style framework and its use with families who have a child undergoing palliative care at home

Palliative care settings in many countries acknowledge families as their prime focus of care, but in Brazil, to date, researchers have devoted scant attention to that practice setting. In this article, we report the findings of a study that explored how families define and manage their lives when they have a child or adolescent undergoing palliative care at home. Data included individual semistructured interviews with 14 family members of 11 different families. Interviews were transcribed and the coding procedure featured qualitative content analysis methods. The deductive coding was based on the major components of the Family Management Style Framework and the eight dimensions comprising these components. The analysis provides insight into families' daily practices and problems inherent in managing their everyday lives that are encountered when they have a child in palliative care. The article features discussion of implications for the palliative care related development of family nursing practice.

A longitudinal study of families with technology-dependent children

Few researchers have longitudinally examined families caring for technology-dependent children at home. We tested a theoretically and empirically based conceptual model by examining family functioning and normalization in 82 mothers (female primary caregivers) twice over 12 months. Time 1 and Time 2 cross-sectional findings were consistent; the only predictor of family functioning was mothers' depressive symptoms. Contrary to the proposed model, normalization, caregiving duration, and home nursing hours were not directly related to family functioning. Baseline family functioning significantly predicted future family functioning. Also, mothers whose children were no longer technology-dependent at Time 2 reported significant improvements in family functioning and normalization. An intervention to address high levels of depressive symptoms of these mothers is essential to optimizing family functioning.

Estilos de manejo familiar: uma possibilidade de avaliação no transplante hepático pediátrico

OBJETIVO: Identificar os estilos de manejo familiar durante a experiência do transplante hepático da criança, de acordo com o Family Management Style Framework. MÉTODOS: Estudo descritivo, com abordagem qualitativa, realizado mediante uma análise secundária de nove entrevistas semiestruturadas, previamente coletadas com oito famílias que tiveram uma criança que atravessava a experiência de transplante hepático. RESULTADOS: Pela análise, foi possível identificar cinco estilos de manejo: família ajustada, família em adaptação, família lutando, família em conflito e família em espera. CONCLUSÃO: O modelo mostrou-se útil na avaliação de famílias no contexto do transplante pediátrico e seu uso é encorajado neste e em outros cenários de doença crônica.

Family Relationships and Latina Teen Suicide Attempts: Reciprocity, Asymmetry, and Detachment

Using qualitative data collected from adolescent Latinas and their parents, this article describes ways in which family relationships are organized within low-income Latino families (n = 24) with and without a daughter who attempted suicide. Based on a family-level analysis approach, we present a framework that categorizes relationships as reciprocal, asymmetrical, or detached. Clear differences are identified: Families of non-attempters primarily cluster in reciprocal families, whereas families with an adolescent suicide attempter exhibit characteristics of asymmetrical or detached families. Our results highlight the need for detailed clinical attention to family communication patterns, especially in Latino families. Clinicians may reduce the likelihood of an attempt or repeated attempts by raising mutual, reciprocal exchanges of words and support between parents and daughter.

Family management styles and ADHD: utility and treatment implications

A previous study identified four family management styles (FMSs) exhibited in families with children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and suggested that understanding how families deal with a child's ADHD would provide additional information from which to create effective interventions. The present study used the FMS typology with a sample of children and adolescents with ADHD with the aims of demonstrating that FMSs could be reliably identified in a different clinical sample and clarifying changes in FMS that occur with treatment. All four FMSs were reliably identified in the sample and more than half of the families (56.3%) improved to a higher functioning FMS with treatment. The findings suggest that FMSs can elicit important information about family functioning and may assist clinical understanding of the child-family interaction that in turn facilitates treatment.