Parents’ Experiences of Health and Needs When Supporting Their Adolescents With Cerebral PalsyDuring Transition to Adulthood

• ABSTRACT. Aims: Parents are the primary support providers for adolescents with disabilities,their health and wellbeing is therefore of great importance when planning foryouths’ transition into adulthood. The aim of this study was to gain a deeper understandingof how parents of adolescents with cerebral palsy (CP) experience their ownhealth and wellbeing and their needs for support during the adolescent’s transition toadulthood. Methods: An inductive qualitative approach was used, including interviewswith 15 mothers and fathers to 10 adolescents with CP aged 17–18 years. Latent contentanalysis was used for analyzing the data. Results: Themain theme “Friction blisters chafingand healing during transition” illustrates the parents’ experiences. Five sub-themesformed the parents’ experiences of concerns along with sorrow and stress in life, worriesabout what was to come, their need for support, strategies for coping, and experiencesof cohesion. Conclusions: Knowledge of parents’ experiences of their health, wellbeing,and needs provide valuable information for the planning of transition for adolescentswith disabilities. Help with parents’ sorrow, stress, and worry in daily life might be facilitatedand parental health safeguarded by a navigator who can both guide and givehands-on support.

Ämnesord

MEDICIN OCH HÄLSOVETENSKAP  -- Hälsovetenskap -- Omvårdnad (hsv//swe)

MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES  -- Health Sciences -- Nursing (hsv//eng)

MEDICIN OCH HÄLSOVETENSKAP  -- Hälsovetenskap -- Arbetsterapi (hsv//swe)

MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES  -- Health Sciences -- Occupational Therapy (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

Adolescents

cerebral palsy

health andwellbeing

parents’ experiences

qualitative interviews

transition

Barn- och ungdomsvetenskap

Child and Youth studies

Folkhälsovetenskap

Public health science

Publikations- och innehållstyp

ref (ämneskategori)

art (ämneskategori)