Parenting Experience of Parents with a Disabled Child

Lee, Ki Young; Park, In Sook; So, Heeyoung

Abstract

PURPOSE
This study used a phenomenological method, which is a qualitative study, in order to understand the vivid experience of parents who have a disabled child. METHODS: The number of participants was 10. The subjects of this study were parents who are raising their disabled child who attends a special school or normal middle or high schools in D city. The period for collecting materials was from September 2005 to July 2007. The phenomenological analysis method suggested by Giorgi was used. RESULTS: The meanings of the child parenting experience of parents with a disabled child are (1) feeling of frustration of the delayed treatment, (2) difficult to accept the diagnosis of disability, (3) having eyes centered on her child, (4) accepting the disabled child, (5) giving all his energy to his disabled child, (6) making efforts for his family's unity, (7) recognizing the difficulty of parenting disabled child, (8) recognizing the difficulty of education for disabled child, (9) feeling pitiful for his their normal children, (10) planning for disabled child's future. CONCLUSIONS: All the programs for disabled child should be programed for their entire life. It is necessary to provide physical, psychological, emotional, social and economic nursing intervention to relieve or reduce the burden of parents with disabled children.