Fathers of children with disabilities: encounters with health professionals in a Chinese context

Abstract

Taiwanese clinicians' attitudes and parental-professional relationships challenge an exploration of ethics and standards of medical care shaped by Chinese culture. Ways of promoting parental inclusion in decision making and care, in particular father's inclusion, need to be explored. Recognition of the Chinese mother and father and their differing parental healthcare experiences are important to understand to ensure improvement in encounters with health professionals and the maximisation of positive health outcomes.

The Views and Experiences of Fathers of Children with Intellectual Disabilities: A Systematic Review of the International Evidence

“…Other findings indicated that a poor or inaccurate diagnosis of the ID by healthcare professionals as perceived by fathers often resulted in poor care management for the child (Huang et al, ). In some cases, fathers blamed themselves for not recognizing the child's ID due to the presentation being unfamiliar to them, for example, global developmental delay or autism spectrum disorder, further delaying the diagnosis confirmation (Marsh et al, ).…”

“…A number of data collection methods were used in the studies including surveys, questionnaires, and interviews. A total of five studies were qualitative (Boström & Broberg, ; Carpenter & Towers, ; Huang et al, ; ; Marsh et al, ) and nine studies were quantitative (Al‐Yagon, ; ; Cohen et al, ; Dąbrowska, ; Giallo et al, ; Huang et al, ; MacDonald et al, ; MacDonald & Hastings, ; Takataya et al, ).…”

The participation of parents of disabled children and young people in health and social care decisions

“…However, findings of this research also suggest that fathers play an important part in providing vital support to mothers where decision making is concerned. Although seldom reported in previous literature, fathers of disabled children in research by Huang, Tsai, and Kellett () highlighted that professionals talked mostly to mothers, potentially reinforcing the passivity of fathers in interactions with them. Professionals, therefore, have an important role to play in fostering the participation of fathers and actively involving them and drawing them in to decision making processes.…”

“…Thirteen percent of families had more than one disabled child, and there were not sufficient data to draw comparisons between these families and those with one disabled child, an issue that would need addressed in future research. There is an emerging literature about the experiences of fathers of disabled children (see, e.g., Huang et al, ). This research has highlighted the need for further work in this area, specifically around their perceived and desired role in decision making.…”

Caracterización de los conocimientos de las madres sobre la discapacidad de sus hijos y su vínculo con la dinámica familiar.

“…Cuando las familias adquieren los conocimientos y comprenden lo que representa tener un miembro con esta condición es posible observar cómo asumen el diagnóstico y logran establecer una relación con el entorno (Rodríguez, Alvarado & Moreno, 2007). Los conocimientos permiten a los padres una mayor aceptación y comprensión sobre el diagnóstico de su hijo (Huang, Tsai & Kellet, 2011;Peralta & Arellano, 2010).…”