About 14% of children have asthma, and despite effective treatments, the outcome is not always as expected, with hospitalisation rates remaining high. Parents of children with asthma experience stress as they doubt their ability to cope with the difficult circumstances. Parents complain that they do not have sufficient information on the reduction of factors associated with disease exacerbation. They need knowledge of how to effectively participate in coping with the disease.
The aim of the research is to describe the experiences and needs of parents of children with asthma in coping with the child’s disease.
The design of the research is qualitative and descriptive. The data were collected through semi-structured interviews and analysed by an inductive content analysis method. The interviews were conducted in the autumn of 2021. The subjects were found with the help of the Tallinn Children’s Hospital staff. Eight subjects participated in the research.
The results of the study showed that the parents’ experiences in coping with the child’s disease consisted of health-related experiences, life management and material challenges, experiences with relationships, and various support systems. The needs of parents in dealing with the child’s disease included the need for various services, the need for information, the need to support the child, and health needs of both the parents and the child.
Parents experienced socio-economic difficulties and incomplete information when coping with the child’s disease. For this reason, families should receive support from various specialists and organisations, and the role of nurses is to be a connecting link between families and support services.
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