Paper
Thursday, July 22, 2004
9:30 AM - 10:00 AM
Thursday, July 22, 2004
2:30 PM - 3:00 PM
Mothers' Experience of Helping the Young Adult WithTraumatic Brain Injury
Suporn Wongvatunyu, RN, PhD, Surgical Nursing Unit, Ramathibodi Nursing Department, Faculty of Medicine Ramathibodi Hospital, Surgical Nursing Unit, Ramathibodi Nursing Department, Faculty of Medicine Ramathibodi Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand
The purpose of the phenomenological study was to describe the experience of mothers who were helping a young adult following a traumatic brain injury (TBI) that had occurred at least six months earlier. In the cross-sectional study, convenience sampling preceded purposive sampling: inclusion criteria for the mothers were based principally upon characteristics of the young adults. Data were obtained through three indepth interviews with 7 mothers who resided in Mid-Missouri. Interviews were transcribed and then analyzed using Porter's (1998) method of descriptive phenomenology. By comparing and contrasting data, the structure of the experience was described in a taxonomy of the phenomena of the experience and a parallel taxonomy of the context of the experience. The five features of the context of the experience were (a) being in the situation of having a young adult child with TBI, (b) perceiving that life has really changed, (c) having sufficient support, (d) feeling bereft of help, (e) believing that my child is still able and that I can help my child. The five phenomena were (a) reconnecting my child's brain, (b) considering my child's safety, (c) making our lives as normal as possible, (d) dealing with our biggest problem, and (e) advocating for my child. Although there were certain limitations, the findings are a contribution to the knowledge base in nursing and rehabilitation and a basis for further research. The results of this study have implications interventions for family caregivers of young adults with TBI and long-term services for the young adult.
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Sigma Theta Tau International
July 22-24, 2004