A Qualitative Inquiry of Korean Mothers’ Perceptions of Grandparents’ Roles and Support for Families of Children with Severe Disabilities

Apoios e relações entre mães e avós de crianças com deficiência: falando sobre solidariedade intergeracional familiar

“…In general, the studies show a diversity of themes that have been researched from an intergenerational perspective when having a disabled grandchild, for example, intergenerational support (Yamashiro & Matsukura, 2015), the functioning of the family of children with autism (Mano, 2016;Sullivan et al, 2012;Margetts et al, 2006), the role of grandparents in support, family involvement and beliefs (Mitchell, 2007;Lee & Gardner, 2015;Gardner & Scherman, 1994); supportive practices in everyday life (Matsukura & Yamashiro, 2012); grandparents' quality of life . Also, we found studies of literature review on the topic, such as those by Hillman (2007) and .…”

“…They also highlighted the importance of intergenerational relationships, considering the benefits they produce for both generations involved. Lee & Gardner (2015) showed reports of a mother describing how grandparents were involved and provided different types of support:…”

“…The study by Lee & Gardner (2015) shows that, in traditional Korean society, people with disabilities are perceived as people unable to contribute positively to their family and society. Thus, having a family member with a disability is seen as something shameful for the whole family.…”

“…In the study by Lee & Gardner (2015), the geographical distance is evidenced with reports from a mother about the grandparents who lived nearby, providing more support than the grandparents who lived far away.…”

“…Mirfin-Veitch et al (1997) pointed out that access to information about the disability can alleviate any urgent fears about the effect of the disability or health concerns related to the disability, consequently facilitating mutual support and interaction between parents and grandparents. Lee & Gardner (2015) also referred that the negative adjustment of grandparents to the disability of their grandchildren is often related to the inaccuracy of information about their grandchildren's disability or the perpetuation of traditional philosophical perspectives. The following is the report of a mother who lives with this ignorance and, consequently, judgment by one of the grandparents.…”