The Lived Experience of Fathers Who Have Children With Asthma: A Phenomenological Study

Abstract

Asthma is the most common chronic illness of childhood. It is a leading cause of school absenteeism and accounts for a major portion of pediatric admissions to emergency departments and hospitals. When a child is diagnosed with asthma, parents become responsible for the long-term management of a chronic condition that may be characterized by unpredictable and irregular episodes.Most of the research concerning parents and childhood asthma is focussed on mothers. The small number of studies in which mothers and fathers were compared revealed that differences do exist between their experiences and responses. Paternal perspectives and experiences of caring for a child with asthma have been sparsely explored.This phenomenological study used van Manen's (1994) method of inquiry to explore the lived experience of fathers who have children with asthma. A sample of eight fathers with children aged 7 to 11 years who had been diagnosed with asthma were interviewed in order to find out what their experiences were like. From the analysis of the interview data, five themes were identified: feeling relief in knowing the diagnosis, learning the ropes, living with concern, being vigilant, and being comfortable with asthma management. The findings from this study have implications for nursing practice, education, and research. Understanding the experience of fathers who have children with asthma, and gaining insight into their needs and concerns is a first step to providing supportive nursing care. It is important to include fathers in future research studies and examine their unique experience in parenting ill children. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Involving Parents in Managing Their Child's Long-Term Condition—A Concept Synthesis of Family-Centered Care and Partnership-in-Care

“…Consequently, parents develop considerable expertise in managing their child's long-term condition (Bailing & McCubbin, 2001: Dickinson et al, 2006: Nuutila & Salanterä, 2006. The process of developing this expertise has been described as blending knowledge and skill acquisition with experiential knowledge in order to adapt to changes in the child's condition (Bailing & McCubbin, 2001;Cashin, Small & Solberg, 2008;Smith, et al, 2013b). Moving from a novice to an expert is not solely achieved by gaining experience and knowledge but is a process of change and involves developing the skills to critically analyse new situations and effectively problem-solve (Dryfus & Dryfus, 1996).…”

“…Actively involving parents in care decisions, and children and young people as appropriate, is particularly salient in the context of long-term conditions where the day-to-day management of care becomes primarily the responsibility of the family. Evidence suggests that care-giving such as providing medical and nursing interventions above usual parenting tasks is a significant feature of living with a child with a long-term condition for both fathers and mothers (Cashin, Small & Solberg, 2008;Smith, Cheater & Bekker, 2013a;Wennick & Hallström, 2007). In order to manage their child's condition, parents need to; gain knowledge of the condition and treatments (Bailing & McCubin 2001;Knafl, Deatrick, Knafl, Gallo, et al, 2013, Nuutila & Salanterä, 2006; learn how to identify and respond to illness symptoms in their child (Smith, Cheater, Bekker & Chatwin, 2013b;Wennick & Hallström, 2007); and develop effective relationships with health professionals (Dickinson, Smythe, & Spence, 2006;Swallow & Jacoby, 2001;Swallow, Lambert, Santacroce, Macfadyen, 2011;Swallow, Macfadyen, Santacroce & Lambert, 2012).…”

Mālama nā makua i nā keiki me ka hānō: Native Hawaiian parents caring for their children with asthma

“…Emotional and service-related support from partners, extended family, and friends were common findings in the literature (Cashin, Small, & Solberg, 2008;Desai et al, 2016). However, the ʻohana in the study appeared to be a much larger network of involved relatives than listed in the literature (Cashin et al, 2008).…”

“…In the face of uncertainty, the findings in this study and existing literature described several coping strategies used by participants such as vigilance (Cashin et al, 2008) and information seeking (Cashin et al, 2008;Desai et al, 2016;Swallow et al, 2011). Also, the study identified two types of therapies utilized by native Hawaiians: Western therapies and CAM remedies.…”

“…However, the ʻohana in the study appeared to be a much larger network of involved relatives than listed in the literature (Cashin et al, 2008). Fathers were actively engaged in their child's asthma management in several research studies (Cashin et al, 2008;Swallow, Macfadyen, Santacroce, & Lambert, 2011) but not reported in this study. Future studies in this area need to include the paternal role and perspective in caring for a child with asthma.…”