When Control Exacerbates Distress: A Qualitative Study Exploring the Experiences of Hong Kong Chinese Parents in Caring for a Child with Asthma

Abstract

Many parents have difficulty managing childhood asthma. In Hong Kong (HK), while medication is the primary form of treatment, traditional Chinese medicine is another favored option. In addition, HK follows a dual-track healthcare system, which may pose unique experiences for Chinese parents in childhood asthma management. This qualitative descriptive study aimed to explore the experiences of HK Chinese parents in caring for their children with asthma. Methods: Fourteen HK Chinese mothers of children (aged 3-10) suffering from asthma were purposively sampled to participate in individual, semi-structured interviews. A realist approach following conventional content analysis was used to interpret the interviews. Results: The mothers expressed feelings of uncertainty, fear of asthma crises, and searching for ways to cope. These feelings triggered various strategies to control their child’s asthma. As long as the child’s asthma symptoms recurred, the mothers’ distress continued. Their distress was sometimes exacerbated by self-doubt and worries about whether they would receive adequate support from their family and healthcare professionals. Conclusion: Helping parents to understand their limits may help them be more open to varied aspects of their caregiving experiences, and thus to cope better. Psychological interventions together traditional educational training may help to alleviate parents’ psychological difficulties.

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for Parental Management of Childhood Asthma: An RCT

“…Consistent with our earlier study, 6 the parents in the current study felt great distress, with their mean combined DASS-21 scores being close to those whose children presented with disruptive behavioral problems 68 and attention-deficient/hyperactivity disorders. 69 Nevertheless, our ACT intervention yielded significant small-to-moderate between-group ESs in parental psychological adjustment to a child's illness and in parental anxiety and stress symptoms at 6 months postintervention.…”

“…The protocol of the current study was modified on the basis of findings from interviews with Hong Kong Chinese parents of children who had been diagnosed with asthma. These interviews were conducted to explore the caregiving difficulties of these parents, 6 with the aim of devising intervention materials that would be more relevant to the parents' child care experiences. The protocol was reviewed by a team of experts in ACT and in childhood asthma.…”

“…1 The unpredictability and life-threatening nature of asthma imposes a heavy psychological burden on parents. [2][3][4] Parents who find it difficult to cope with the burden may engage in avoidance or hypervigilance or may catastrophize mildly threatening cues related to asthma, 5,6 which may affect how they manage their child's asthma. [7][8][9] Studies have revealed that poor parental psychological health 10 affects childhood asthma morbidity, as indicated by increased symptom severity 11 and frequent use of health care services.…”

Perceptions Towards Childhood Asthma and Barriers To Its Management Among Patients, Caregivers and Healthcare Providers: A Qualitative Study From Ethiopia

“…This may have to do with limited awareness about its necessity but also concerns including about its side effects, 'creating adaptation' and loss of taste and smell. Similar observations are reported in studies done among whites as well as non-white communities with the concerns and adherence issues pronounced among the minority populations [7,14,15]. This variation could be partly attributed to cultural differences among the different communities which in turn could affect the trust towards the biomedical regimens.…”

“…Similar ndings were reported by a similar study done among British South Asians and white caregivers where they experienced social and emotional impacts as a result of their children's asthma [14]. Another study done among Hong Kong Chinese caregivers also reported how they lost con dence and felt powerless due to repeated hospital admissions of their children [15]. Such phenomena are bound to negatively affect the treatment outcomes and the well-being of both the children and their caregivers.…”