Awareness of parental illness: a grounded theory of upholding family equilibrium in parents on long-term sick-leave in primary health care

• Objective To understand the main concern of chronically ill parents and how they resolve this concern in relation to their children. Design Grounded theory. Setting Three primary health care clinics in Sweden. Subjects Thirty-two interviewed parents and their children. Main outcome measures Processes and typologies of upholding family relationships. Results A concern of chronically ill parents is sustaining family equilibrium, achieved through a process of upholding family relationships. How a parent upholds depends upon his/her comprehension of the illness and of their child's need for parenting. In response to the parent's upholding behaviours, children mirror the effect of the illness to the parent, the child's specific behaviour depending on his/her level of comprehension regarding the parent's illness. Their combined behaviours create an awareness context that may be closed, concealed, suspicious, conflicted, mutual pretence or open. When the parent drives and facilitates the evolution of comprehension, the context quickly evolves from closed to open. When the parent hinders the process by masking and resisting the child responds by probing and proving and they become locked into a suspicious or conflicted awareness context with high relational tension. To create family equilibrium the parent needs to reveal and facilitate the awareness process. Conclusion Parents on long-term sick leave in primary health care can need assistance to facilitate the awareness context of themselves and their child. Implications: Clinicians can identify the current awareness context of their patient and help their patient towards increased understanding of their illness; their child's needs and the parental capacities needed to reveal the illness and its impacts.

Ämnesord

MEDICIN OCH HÄLSOVETENSKAP  -- Hälsovetenskap -- Annan hälsovetenskap (hsv//swe)

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

Nyckelord

Child of impaired parents

primary health care

sick leave

parent-child

relations

family health

qualitative research

health promotion

substance-abusing parents

ill parents

children

work

Health Care Sciences & Services

General & Internal Medicine

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art (ämneskategori)