Paper
Sunday, November 4, 2007
106
Coping Strategies Used by Hispanic, Caucasian and African-American Parents Caring for Chronically Ill Children
Patricia Joffe, PhD, APRN, BC, CNS, Nursing, New Jersey City University, Jersey City, NJ, USA
| Learning Objective #1: Identify four strategies used by all parents regardless of cultural background |
| Learning Objective #2: discuss two strategies used by each cultural group. |
Nurses caring for chronically ill children and their families in the home environment have witnessed a rapid increase in the number of children that are cared for in the home. Review of the literature identified gaps existing in the body of pediatric research related to culture and chronically ill children. This study used the qualitative research paradigm to explore the coping strategies of families as they integrate the care of the chronically ill child into their life ways. The study examined how African - American, Caucasian and Hispanic families coped with chronic illness. The sample included families from 3 cultural groups: 5 African – American, 5 Hispanics, and 4 Caucasians. The 14 caregivers were interviewed in their homes. Grounded theory was used to develop a theory from systematically generated descriptive data. Coping strategies allowed these families to deal with chronic illness in their children. Important cultural themes on coping emerged from data collected from each cultural group that have implications to assist nurses to help culturally diverse families. It is essential for nursing to understand parents’ perceptions and coping from a cultural viewpoint.