Short‐term changes in parents' resolution regarding their young child's diagnosis of cerebral palsy |
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Authors: | I C M Rentinck M Ketelaar C Schuengel J Stolk E Lindeman M J Jongmans J W Gorter |
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Institution: | 1. Rehabilitation Centre De Hoogstraat, Centre of Excellence for Rehabilitation Medicine Utrecht, Utrecht;2. Partner of NetChild, Network for Childhood Disability Research in the Netherlands, Utrecht;3. University Medical Center, Department of Rehabilitation and Sports Medicine, Rudolf Magnus Institute of Neuroscience, Utrecht;4. Department of Clinical Child and Family Studies, VU University Amsterdam, Amsterdam;5. The EMGO Institute for Health and Care Research, VU University Amsterdam, Amsterdam;6. Department of Pediatric Psychology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht;7. Utrecht University, Department of Special Education, Utrecht, The Netherlands, and;8. CanChild Centre for Childhood Disability Research, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada |
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Abstract: | Objective This study aimed to describe changes in parents' resolution regarding their young child's diagnosis of cerebral palsy over a period of 1 year, and to describe the changes in strategies of resolution. Methods In this longitudinal study, 38 parents of children with cerebral palsy (mean age 18.4 months, SD = 1.1 at baseline) were followed with the Reaction to Diagnosis Interview, assessing their personal reactions to their child's diagnosis (i.e. resolution status). Changes at main and subclassification level of the Reaction to Diagnosis Interview were investigated using a binominal test. Results Twenty‐nine parents (76%) were found to be stable with respect to their main resolution status (i.e. ‘resolved’ or ‘unresolved’), while 24% of the parents either had changed from ‘unresolved’ to ‘resolved’ or in the opposite way. Furthermore, of the 28 parents who were classified as ‘resolved’ at both times, 15 (54%) had changed at subclassification level with respect to the specific strategies used. Conclusion Resolution at a main level of parental reactions to their child's diagnosis was predominantly stable. Most parents were classified as ‘resolved’ at both baseline and follow‐up assessment. However, more detailed analyses at subclassification level showed that most parents with a ‘resolved’ main status showed changing patterns of resolution strategies to their child's diagnosis, suggesting that resolution is an ongoing process. |
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Keywords: | adaptation cerebral palsy family parenting pre‐school children resolution of diagnosis |
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