A Contextual Analysis of Caregivers of Children With Disabilities

Abstract

When a child is born with a disability, the caregiver's life is altered. With the numerous challenges caring for a child with disability brings, caregivers may feel devastated. These challenges often result in increased stress on the caregiver, which, in many cases, places the child at risk for maltreatment. The purpose of this study is to explore issues a caregiver faces when caring for his or her child. In this contextual analysis, seven caregivers of children with moderate-to-severe disabilities completed a questionnaire, were interviewed individually, and assisted the researcher in constructing an ecomap of their current living environment. Content from the interviews was analyzed and several themes developed from the data. Implications for clinical practice and future research ideas are discussed.

An ecological analysis of infant neglect by adolescent mothers

“…These complications also may lead to challenges following birth. For example, low birth weight infants may be more difficult to care for, requiring special caregiving behaviors and accommodations, which may exacerbate parenting stress and lead to neglect (Washington, 2009). Infant regulatory difficulties also may be problematic when combined with other stressors that prevent mothers from engaging in attuned, responsive caregiving.…”

Trapped: Experiences of unpaid carers of clinically vulnerable people “shielding” during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic

“…For many, the fear of the impact of the virus on the person cared-for meant that the advice to shield was taken to apply equally to the carer. Even in the most auspicious circumstances, caring can bring with it stresses and tensions, and these are often relieved by having social contact with family members, friends, and colleagues outside the household (Gupta & Pillai, 2000;Marsack-Topolewski, 2021;Washington, 2009). Losing such resources of emotional support at a time of heightened pressure may have increased the impact of their expanding responsibilities on carers.…”

Putting graphic elicitation into practice: tools and typologies for the use of participant-led diagrams in qualitative research interviews

“…This makes them suited to investigations of family patterns which cascade through generations – for example, chronic health conditions (Ribeiro et al, 2015), domestic violence (Watts and Shrader, 1998) and property inheritance (Helling and Stovers, 2005). They have also been used to visualise social support in family caregiving (Ray and Street, 2006; 2007; Rempel et al, 2007; Washington, 2009), and to investigate health promotion within social networks (Zanchetta et al, 2007; Rocha et al, 2009; de Oliveira et al, 2010; Correa et al, 2011).…”

“…Articles show a wide variation in the level of interpretation in their thematic analysis, with some studies unearthing abstract concepts and others remaining almost wholly descriptive. Ray and Street touch on experiences of emotional loss (2007) and subtle aspects of embodiment (2006), Washington (2009) on contextual issues and their counterpoints, examining social isolation, stress and spirituality. In contrast, de Oliveira et al (2010) and Correa et al (2011) offer a largely descriptive analysis of social support, with themes such as ‘social networks’, ‘kinship networks’ and ‘family roles’.…”