Adaptation and Resilience in Families of Children With Spina Bifida in South Korea

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this study, which was guided by the Family Resilience Model, was twofold: (1) to assess the risk and protective factors related to adaptation and resilience in families of children with spina bifida (SB) in South Korea and (2) to examine predictors of family adaptation and resilience. Design This is a descriptive study using survey methodology. Methods Data were collected from 203 parents of children with SB between June 2013 and February 2014 at the SB clinic in South Korea and analyzed using stepwise linear regression. Findings The best predictors of family adaptation and resilience in children with SB included one risk factor (parental depression) and four protective factors (parental health, family cohesion, family communication skills, and supportive friends/relatives). These five factors explained 39.7% of the total variance in family functioning (an indicator of family adaptation and resilience; F = 26.43, p < .001). Conclusion and Clinical Relevance Findings suggest that nursing interventions designed to strengthen protective factors and reduce risk factors are likely to promote adaptation and resilience in families of children with SB.

Family Resilience, Parenting Styles and Psychosocial Adjustment of Children With Chronic Illness: A Cross-Sectional Study

“…Family resilience was negatively correlated with total difficulties and positively correlated with prosocial behavior, as found previously (62)(63)(64). Furthermore, in line with our hypothesis, the present study found that authoritative parenting played a fully mediating role between family resilience and child psychosocial adjustment (both total difficulties and prosocial behavior).…”

Seeking tirelessly for better health and life conditions for the child with myelomeningocele

“…Although a number of studies demonstrate the role of primary caregiver assigned to the mother (10,12,(33)(34) , this study showed, in a predominant manner, that in families where the father was present in the family nucleus, he also exercised the role of caregiver, sharing care and enhancing the family bond. The father's participation has been evidenced in the life and care of the child with special health needs through daily care, stimulating the bond and affection of the relationships between them (35)(36) ; caring for the child in a shared way improves family interactions (36)(37) .…”

“…The promotion of care for MMC and comorbidities, demands professional guidance, potential field of nursing, considering the specificity of procedures such as dressings, intestinal lavage and bladder catheterization. When the health team exercises effective support, it can mean a base for the family, where it builds its relationships in favor of child care, allowing it to invest in their development (12,29) , which however proved to be incipient in this study.…”

“…The chronic condition imposed by MMC demands specialized care, which requires direct and continuous supervision by health professionals ( 12 , 26 - 27 ) , so as to maintain functionality, prevent harms and promote autonomy. A literature review portrays the relationship between the potential reach of better health conditions in individuals with MMC and assistance in specialized centers, with this discrepancy also associated with ethnicity and social condition ( 28 ) , so the lack of health services aimed at rehabilitation becomes an impasse in the care of children with MMC ( 10 ) , above all, with regard to the transition to self-care, as observed in this study.…”

“…The care required by MMC considerably exceeds that required by a child with typical development, and lasts for a lifetime ( 8 ) , also inferring greater difficulty in psychosocial interaction and lower quality of life in relation to their physical health ( 9 ) , which generates feelings of fear, insecurity and anxiety in the family, the main social support to ensure the childs growth and potential development ( 10 ) . Thus, given the repercussion of MMC in the life of the child and his family, it is necessary to get closer to know the familys potentials, weaknesses and rearrangements, understanding the meaning of the care relationships ( 11 ) , so as to instrumentalize the performance of the nursing professional for qualified care for these families, considering the increase in the life expectancy of this population, and the gap in the literature with this focus ( 8 , 12 ) . In this sense, the objective was to understand the experience of families in the care of children with myelomeningocele.…”