The Core of Parents' Main Concerns When Having a Child With Cataract and Its Clinical Implications.

PURPOSE

To investigate the main concerns associated with being a parent of a child with cataract and how the parents deal with these concerns.

DESIGN AND METHOD

Twenty-three parents; 6 mothers, 5 fathers and 6 couples with a child with cataract were included in this study. The parents included some with a personal experience of cataract and some without. Data was collected through 17 in-depth interviews, which were recorded and transcribed verbatim for analysis by the method of Grounded Theory developed by Charmaz.

RESULTS

The Grounded Theory describes the parents' efforts to balance the child's inability and ability in order to maintain their social functioning and lead a normal life through a process comprising four main categories; Mastering, Collaborating, Facilitating, and Adapting. This process makes the path of transition evident, starting when the child is diagnosed and continuing for several years during her/his growth and development.

CONCLUSION

The core of parent-child interaction is mastering the balance between the child's disability and ability in order to achieve the best possible outcome, visually and habitually. The interactions changes through a process towards adjustment and acceptance. All the parents emphasized that you do what you have to do to achieve a successful visual outcome of the child.

CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS

The model provides a comprehensive understanding of parental self-management that can be used by a case manager, preferable a nurse, to pilot the parents through the process.