TY - JOUR
T1 - Parental cognitive appraisals and coping behaviours following child's epilepsy diagnosis: a qualitative study
AU - Nguyen, Sylvia Luong
AU - Pertini, Mark
AU - Kettler, Lisa
PY - 2015
Y1 - 2015
N2 - Management of childhood epilepsy places significant demands and increased stress on the family unit. How parents adjust to this illness-related stress is believed to be shaped by their cognitive appraisals of the situation and the coping behaviours that are employed (Wallander Varni, 1992). We investigated the cognitive and behavioural strategies that regulated psychological symptomatology in mothers following an epilepsy diagnosis of their child. Twenty-one mothers participated in this qualitative study. Interview data was analyzed using theory-driven thematic analysis. The analysis revealed common effective cognitive appraisals that include maintaining a positive outlook, re-structuring expectations and finding meaning from their experiences. Problem-solving, emotional venting, time to self and speaking with parents in similar situations were behaviours that buffered against carer strain. The coping strategies identified in this study can be seen as sources of resilience and therefore provide a guide for improving parent outcomes in the context of pediatric illness. Implications for clinical services are discussed in this paper.
AB - Management of childhood epilepsy places significant demands and increased stress on the family unit. How parents adjust to this illness-related stress is believed to be shaped by their cognitive appraisals of the situation and the coping behaviours that are employed (Wallander Varni, 1992). We investigated the cognitive and behavioural strategies that regulated psychological symptomatology in mothers following an epilepsy diagnosis of their child. Twenty-one mothers participated in this qualitative study. Interview data was analyzed using theory-driven thematic analysis. The analysis revealed common effective cognitive appraisals that include maintaining a positive outlook, re-structuring expectations and finding meaning from their experiences. Problem-solving, emotional venting, time to self and speaking with parents in similar situations were behaviours that buffered against carer strain. The coping strategies identified in this study can be seen as sources of resilience and therefore provide a guide for improving parent outcomes in the context of pediatric illness. Implications for clinical services are discussed in this paper.
UR - http://ccp.sagepub.com.ezproxy.lib.monash.edu.au/content/20/1/20.full.pdf+html
U2 - 10.1177/1359104513494089
DO - 10.1177/1359104513494089
M3 - Article
SN - 1359-1045
VL - 20
SP - 20
EP - 38
JO - Clinical Child Psychology and Psychiatry
JF - Clinical Child Psychology and Psychiatry
IS - 1
ER -