An alternative framework for understanding women's caregiving stress: a qualitative application of the ways of coping model

Parental Stress and Bringing up a Child with Cerebral Palsy: A Foreign Studies Review

<p style="text-align: justify;">Raising a child with cerebral palsy contains difficult stress, which negatively affects everyone who is involved in this process. In native psychology, this problem is described by I.U. Levchenko, V.V. Tkacheva, V.A. Vishnevsky, T.N. Volkovskaya. However, there is a lack of research on stress for people, who are raising a child with cerebral palsy. The purpose of this review is to learn about foreign studies on stress for people, who are raising children with cerebral palsy. The article describes R. Abidin's current leading model for parental stress. The connection between raising a child with cerebral palsy and parental stress is considered based on R. Abidin's model. Particularly, the results of studies describe specific aspects of parental stress: lack of knowledge on special child care, not an equal assignment for parental responsibilities, separation anxiety, parent's health problems, social isolation, and guilt. Based on the analysis, we can conclude that raising a child with cerebral palsy is associated with a higher level of stress than raising children without disabilities. This information can be used both in similar studies for a domestic sample and in active programs to reduce parental stress.</p>

Negotiating boundaries of care: an interpretative phenomenological analysis of the relational conflicts surrounding home mechanical ventilation following traumatic spinal cord injury

Objectives: The aim of this study is to explore the phenomena of mechanical ventilation following traumatic spinal cord injury from three simultaneous perspectives; patients who require full-time mechanical ventilation (n = 8), their informal family carers (n = 8) and their formal carers (n = 11). We focus upon the intra and inter- personal challenges of establishing boundaries within the triad. Design: Qualitative study. Methods: Semi-structured interviews were transcribed verbatim and analysed using interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA). In order to encapsulate the inter-subjective, multi-dimensional and relational aspects of the experience, we focussed on recurrent themes which were independently reported across all three participant groups. Results: One major inter-connected recurrent theme was identified: 1) 'Negotiating boundaries of care and finding a "fit"'. It centres around establishing a 'line', or a boundary, which was imperative for retaining a sense of independence (for patients), a sense of home and privacy (for informal carers) and difficulties balancing complex care provision with the needs of family members so as not to cross that 'line' (for formal carers). Conclusions: The findings highlight the need for focussing on a 'fit' within the triad, balancing boundaries of care in order to establish a productive, satisfactory psycho-social environment for all three participant groups to live and/or work within. Recommendations for both future care provision and future research are suggested.

Psychosocial and cognitive health differences by caregiver status among older Mexican Americans

This study identifies the risk and protective factors associated with informal caregiving by older (≥70 years) Mexican Americans and profiles caregiving arrangements. Overall, a greater number of informal caregivers (n = 92) were married and female. They also had higher physical functioning and better cognition than non-caregivers (n = 1,888) but fewer visited a physician regularly. Informal caregivers also showed an increased risk of depressive symptoms. A third of caregivers spent more than 20 h/day caregiving and the majority (84%) of care recipients were family members. In order to support the efforts of this disproportionately burdened caregiver group, increased social support and healthcare services are needed.

Coping with multiple sclerosis as a couple: 'peaks and troughs' - an interpretative phenomenological exploration

PURPOSE

Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a chronic degenerative condition where illness uncertainty is a key difficulty that people with MS and their significant others have to cope with. Clinicians acknowledge that people with MS need to be seen in the context of their families, however there is little knowledge on what to expect about how people cope as a couple, which this study set out to explore.

METHOD

Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) exploring, through semi-structured interviews, how seven couples, where one had MS, experienced coping with their situation.

RESULTS

Two overarching themes pertaining to coping as a couple emerged from the data: Coping Together: "Peaks and Troughs" and Coping Over the Long Haul, with each overarching theme relating to sub-themes. Two integrative themes emerged also, which were called Faith in Self and Faith in Each Other.

CONCLUSIONS

These results will assist clinicians better comprehend how those with MS and their spouses cope in an interconnected way and this in turn affects their experience of rehabilitation. Results from this research indicated that clinicians need to be sensitive to the individual coping strategies of both members of a couple where one has MS, and address the changing needs of their relationship.

Adjustment and coping in spousal caregivers following a traumatic spinal cord injury: an interpretative phenomenological analysis

Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 11 spousal caregivers to people with a traumatic spinal cord injury and were subjected to interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA). Here, we present two inter-related master themes: (1) coping with the spousal caregiver role; and (2) putting the pieces back together again. Within these, the analysis describes how regular venting of emotion, social support and focusing on the positive aspects of the situation all promoted coping. Adjustment was reportedly hindered by the introduction of paid caregivers as this represented a loss of privacy and power for the participants. The findings are discussed in relation to the wider literature and recommendations for future caregiver support are highlighted.

Coping processes as revealed in the stories of mothers of children with autism

Copious research evidence identifies the many stressors faced by mothers of children with autism. The aim of this study was to examine the ways in which coping is revealed in the content and structure of stories told by five mothers of children with autism. Narrative data were analyzed using both holistic-form and categorical-content approaches. Manifestations of coping were revealed in the macrostructures of stories. Cognitive coping strategies were particularly apparent in the life stories, which tended to focus on the emotional and cognitive journeys of the storytellers. Stories of discrete coping episodes added information about behavioral coping strategies employed in specific situations. Analysis of form, particularly of the structure of the life stories, yielded strategies the mothers employed to make meaning of autism in their lives.