scholarly journals A meta-ethnographic study of fathers’ experiences of caring for a child with a life-limiting illness

2020 ◽  
pp. 026921632097915
Author(s):  
Gianina-Ioana Postavaru ◽  
Helen Swaby ◽  
Rabbi Swaby

Background: There is a growing body of qualitative studies examining parents’ experiences of caring for a child with a life-limiting condition, coinciding with recent evidence that indicates an increasing incidence of paediatric life-limiting conditions. However, research focusing on fathers’ needs remains sparse and is often diluted among a predominant ‘mother’s voice’, raising questions about whether practices in clinical settings meet fathers’ needs. Aim: To provide an in-depth assembly of the current state of knowledge around fathers’ experiences of caring for their children diagnosed with life-limiting conditions and understand the implications for healthcare services and policies. Design: A meta-ethnography was conducted to synthesise findings from existing qualitative studies exploring fathers’ experiences of caring. Data sources: Four electronic databases (PubMed, PsycINFO, CINAHL and Science Direct) were searched up until April 2020. Qualitative studies exploring fathers’ care experience and published in English language were included. The Critical Appraisal Skills Programme (CASP) checklist was employed for study quality appraisal. No temporal limits were used. Results: Sixty-three studies met the inclusion criteria. Thirty life-limiting conditions were included. Based on responses from 496 fathers, a conceptual model was developed which translates key experiences within the fathers’ caregiving journeys. The overarching concepts identified were: the paradox of support, challenges in the caring process, ‘nobody thinks of men’, impact on family life and the fall of the curtain: an irrevocably altered world. These and associated sub-concepts are discussed, with recommendations for future research and practice provided. Conclusion: The findings indicate the value of a family-oriented approach to develop psychosocial interventions and support channels for fathers, thus empowering them whilst reducing the care-giving burden on the family unit.

2018 ◽  
Vol 33 (5) ◽  
pp. 806-819 ◽  
Author(s):  
Méabh Corr ◽  
Jennifer McSharry ◽  
Elaine M. Murtagh

Objective: To synthesize evidence from qualitative studies relating to adolescent girls’ perceptions of physical activity participation. The protocol for this review is registered with PROSPERO (ID no. CRD42017054944). Data Source: PubMed, Sports Discus, Academic Search Complete, and Education Resources Information Centre. Inclusion and Exclusion Criteria: Studies reporting qualitative data that explored the views/opinions/perceptions of adolescent girls (>12 and <18 years old) published between 2001 and 2016 were included. Studies not in English, those focusing on school physical education or specific sports, and those including special populations were excluded. Extraction: Study characteristics and results were extracted to a form developed by the authors and managed using NVivo 10 (QSR International’s NVivo 10 software). Data were extracted by 1 reviewer, and a sample (25%) was checked by a second reviewer. Synthesis: Data were synthesized using a thematic network and managed using NVivo 10. The validity of the included studies was assessed using the “Critical Appraisal Skills Programme (2018)” checklist. The ENTREQ and PRISMA statement was followed when reporting this qualitative synthesis. Results: Of the 1818 studies identified in the search strategy, 24 met the inclusion criteria and were included in the analysis. Global themes were identified using a thematic network. These themes were “Gender Bias in Sport,” “Motivation and Perceived Competence,” “Competing Priorities during Adolescence,” and “Meeting Societal Expectations.” Conclusions: The results of this review provide insights into adolescent girls’ views on physical activity. Future research is needed to investigate the potential impact of alternative activity programs on adolescent girls with appropriate follow-up. Researchers and individuals working with young girls must consider the role of perceived motor competence in participation and how this can impact their perceptions.


BMJ Open ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. e025741 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jill R McTavish ◽  
Melissa Kimber ◽  
Karen Devries ◽  
Manuela Colombini ◽  
Jennifer C D MacGregor ◽  
...  

ObjectiveTo systematically synthesise qualitative research that explores children’s and caregivers’ perceptions of mandatory reporting.DesignWe conducted a meta-synthesis of qualitative studies.Data sourcesSearches were conducted in Medline, Embase, PsycINFO, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, Criminal Justice Abstracts, Education Resources Information Center, Sociological Abstracts and Cochrane Libraries.Eligibility criteriaEnglish-language, primary, qualitative studies that investigated children’s or caregivers’ perceptions of reporting child maltreatment were included. All healthcare and social service settings implicated by mandatory reporting laws were included.Data extraction and synthesisCritical appraisal of included studies involved a modified checklist from the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme (CASP). Two independent reviewers extracted data, including direct quotations from children and caregivers (first-order constructs) and interpretations by study authors (second-order constructs). Third-order constructs (the findings of this meta-synthesis) involved synthesising second-order constructs that addressed strategies to improve the mandatory reporting processes for children or caregivers—especially when these themes addressed concerns raised by children or caregivers in relation to the reporting process.ResultsOver 7935 citations were retrieved and 35 articles were included in this meta-synthesis. The studies represent the views of 821 caregivers, 50 adults with histories of child maltreatment and 28 children. Findings suggest that children and caregivers fear being reported, as well as the responses to reports. Children and caregivers identified a need for improvement in communication from healthcare providers about mandatory reporting, offering preliminary insight into child-driven and caregiver-driven strategies to mitigate potential harms associated with reporting processes.ConclusionResearch on strategies to mitigate potential harms linked to mandatory reporting is urgently needed, as is research that explores children’s experiences with this process.


2019 ◽  
pp. 152483801988888
Author(s):  
Debbie Noble-Carr ◽  
Tim Moore ◽  
Morag McArthur

Domestic violence is a significant issue experienced by many children that can have a detrimental impact on their health, development, and well-being. This article reports on the findings of a meta-synthesis that examined the nature and extent of qualitative studies conducted with children about their experience of domestic violence. Studies were identified by a search of electronic databases and included gray literature. Studies were included for review if they were published between 1996 and 2016, were from countries considered as comparable Western nations to Australia and available in the English language, and reported on qualitative studies that directly engaged with children under the age of 18 years on their experiences of intimate partner violence involving one or more of their parents/carers. Forty peer-reviewed publications that reported on 32 studies were included for the review. This study was unique in that it included child participation measures to assess the quality of available studies. This article explores the contribution that research with children has made to our understandings of, and responses to, domestic violence, and provides a critique of the limitations and gaps evident in the extant qualitative research with children on the issue of domestic violence. The article considers implications for future research, policy, and practice and in particular focuses our attention on the need to engage more children more fully in participatory research in the field of domestic violence.


2020 ◽  
pp. 136749352093715
Author(s):  
Simon Nielson ◽  
Lucy Bray ◽  
Bernie Carter ◽  
Joann Kiernan

Physical restraint is regularly used in children and adolescent mental health care, often as a reactive behaviour management strategy. Physical restraint has been associated with physical injury, but psychological consequences are poorly understood. The aim of this systematic review was to examine physical restraint of children and adolescents in inpatient mental healthcare services. Healthcare databases were searched to identify English language publications discussing anyone aged ≤18 years who had experienced physical restraint as a mental health inpatient. No date restrictions were applied. Sixteen quantitative studies are included within this review. Most studies are retrospective in nature. Publications were appraised using the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme quality assessment tool. Common characteristics associated with children and adolescents who experience physical restraint include age, gender, diagnosis, and history. Most studies associate physical restraint with the management of aggression. Findings suggest that it may be a combination of patient (intrinsic) and environmental (extrinsic) factors which ultimately lead to children and adolescents experiencing restraint. This review confirms that little is known about children and adolescents’ first-hand experiences of physical restraint. Future research should address children and adolescents’ perceptions and first-hand experiences of physical restraint.


2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Monica Hytiris ◽  
Daisy Johnston ◽  
Shannon Mullen ◽  
Arlene Smyth ◽  
Elizabeth Dougan ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Whilst diagnostic pathways for children with rare conditions have shown marked improvement, concerns remain about the care children with rare conditions receive at the level of the health care provider. There is, therefore, a need to improve our understanding of the health care received and explore the development of benchmarks that can be regularly monitored. Methods Patients and parents with rare conditions at a tertiary children’s hospital were approached to complete a questionnaire-based survey that enquired on their experience of clinical care. The survey explored six key themes: diagnosis; provision of information; availability of support; satisfaction with healthcare team; awareness and support for life-limiting conditions; and participation in research. Results 130 questionnaires were completed on behalf of 134 patients between 2018 and 2020. Of these, 114 (85%) had received a formal diagnosis, 5 (4%) had a suspected diagnosis and 15 (11%) were undiagnosed. Of the 114 who had received a diagnosis, 24 (20%) were diagnosed within 6 months of developing symptoms, and 22 (20%) within 1–3 years. Seventy patients (53%) reported that they were given little or no information around the time of diagnosis, whilst 81 (63%) felt they were currently well supported, mostly from family members, followed by friends, hospital services, school, other community based healthcare services and lastly, primary care. Of the 127 who were asked, 88 (69%) reported a consistent team of healthcare professionals taking overall responsibility for their care, 86 (67%) felt part of the team, 74 (58%) were satisfied with the level of knowledge of the professionals, and 86 (68%) knew who to contact regarding their condition. Of the 91 who were asked, 23 (25%) were aware their child had a life limiting condition, but only 4 (17%) were receiving specialist support for this. Of 17 who were asked about research, 4 (24%) were actively participating in research, whilst the remainder were all willing to participate in future research. Conclusions The survey provides a unique insight into the experience of patients and parents within a specialist centre and the benchmarks that it has revealed can be used for future improvement in services.


2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 12
Author(s):  
Siti Aisyah Munirah Bohang ◽  
Zainul Ibrahim Zainuddin ◽  
Norhanna Suhoimi

Interaction of CT’s x-ray beams with patient resulted in attenuation process and there are various factors affecting CT attenuation values. The aim of this review is to examine the existed literatures regarding the concept of attenuation in CT and its relationship with body dimension, gender and age in Malay population. Guided by primary question, literature searches were conducted using the established online database; SCOPUS and PubMed. The time frame for literatures was from 2000 to 2019 and only literatures in English language were selected. The size of body dimension has affected the CT attenuation value but it also depending on the type of tissue presence within the region of interest (ROI) such as muscle and fat tissues. Due to larger body framework and higher amount of skeletal muscle mass theoretically males would have higher CT attenuation value than female. CT attenuation value reduces with aging process. Asians including Malay population have smaller body dimension than Caucasians and the mean attenuation value of abdominal region in Asians could differ from 20 HU. Thus, there is a need for future research to investigate the interrelatedness of attenuation in CT (HU) and body dimension within Malay population and close this gap of knowledge. 


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kurt D Shulver ◽  
Nicholas A Badcock

We report the results of a systematic review and meta-analysis investigating the relationship between perceptual anchoring and dyslexia. Our goal was to assess the direction and degree of effect between perceptual anchoring and reading ability in typical and atypical (dyslexic) readers. We performed a literature search of experiments explicitly assessing perceptual anchoring and reading ability using PsycInfo (Ovid, 1860 to 2020), MEDLINE (Ovid, 1860 to 2019), EMBASE (Ovid, 1883 to 2019), and PubMed for all available years up to June (2020). Our eligibility criteria consisted of English-language articles and, at minimum, one experimental group identified as dyslexic - either by reading assessment at the time, or by previous diagnosis. We assessed for risk of bias using an adapted version of the Newcastle-Ottawa scale. Six studies were included in this review, but only five (n = 280 participants) were included in the meta-analysis (we were unable to access the necessary data for one study).The overall effect was negative, large and statistically significant; g = -0.87, 95% CI [-1.47, 0.27]: a negative effect size indicating less perceptual anchoring in dyslexic versus non-dyslexic groups. Visual assessment of funnel plot and Egger’s test suggest minimal bias but with significant heterogeneity; Q (4) = 9.70, PI (prediction interval) [-2.32, -0.58]. The primary limitation of the current review is the small number of included studies. We discuss methodological limitations, such as limited power, and how future research may redress these concerns. The variability of effect sizes appears consistent with the inherent variability within subtypes of dyslexia. This level of dispersion seems indicative of the how we define cut-off thresholds between typical reading and dyslexia populations, but also the methodological tools we use to investigate individual performance.


2017 ◽  
Vol 10 (12) ◽  
pp. 38 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ahmed Abdulteeef M. Al Khateeb

The purpose of this research is to measure in-service English language teachers' digital competence, particularly for the enhancement of teaching English as a second/foreign language in schools in Saudi Arabia. Information and communication technology (ICT) knowledge is currently considered as a vital skill for foreign language teachers in addition to their linguistic competence. Recently, there has been a focus on digital competence, since it can be regarded as a gateway for enriching knowledge, economies, societies and individuals. There is also a massive need for teachers to assess their own digital competence according to non-conventional norms (i.e., having the ability to share content and manage information). In light of this rationale, this paper investigates the following research question: to what extent are English language teachers in Saudi Arabia digitally competent and in what aspects? This study used a standardized questionnaire that was constructed using a validated comprehensive framework. This instrument was designed to assess the professional capability of English language teachers in terms of their willingness and readiness to use ICTs along with their current digital competence used throughout their teaching and educational practices. The research included a diverse range of participants who come from various backgrounds, genders and experiences. The study was concluded with a presentation of useful recommendations and key research questions for future research.


2021 ◽  
pp. 089011712110132
Author(s):  
Ann Pulling Kuhn ◽  
Peter Stoepker ◽  
Brian Dauenhauer ◽  
Russell L. Carson

Objective: To identify, review, and describe multicomponent physical activity (PA) interventions in terms of: (a) number and combination of Comprehensive School Physical Activity Program (CSPAP) components, (b) study characteristics, and (c) primary outcomes. Data Source: Five electronic databases (i.e., PubMed, PsychInfo, Physical Education Index, Sport Discus, and ERIC). Study Inclusion and Exclusion Criteria: Included articles were peer-reviewed, written in English language, published since 1987, and included multicomponent school-based interventions. Data Extraction: Data items extracted were: school level, setting, CSPAP component description, health outcomes, academic outcomes, main conclusion, and reference. Data Synthesis: Included articles were synthesized by: (1) CSPAP components utilized, and (2) research outcome measured (i.e., health or academic). Results: Across 32 studies, 11 included physical education plus 1 additional CSPAP component (PE + 1); 10 included PE + 2 additional CSPAP components; 8 included PE + 3 additional CSPAP components; and 1 included all 5 CSPAP components. Two other studies included 2 or 3 CSPAP components without PE. Most interventions targeted health outcomes (94%) rather than academic outcomes (6%). Conclusions: Multicomponent approaches aligned with CSPAPs are effective in promoting PA and other positive outcomes for youth in schools. Future research should seek to understand effects of CSPAP components on a variety of outcomes and settings.


2021 ◽  
pp. 074171362199151
Author(s):  
Ekaterina Tour ◽  
Edwin Creely ◽  
Peter Waterhouse

A strength-based approach to teaching digital literacies can advance language education for adults from refugee and migrant backgrounds, preparing them for life in a new country. This article draws on a 6-month ethnographic study at an adult English language center in Australia and explores teachers’ perspectives and practices related to teaching digital literacies to understand how prepared they are to employ learners’ own resources. Using sociomaterial theory, this research found that English as an Additional Language (EAL) teachers’ narratives about learners focused on what they lacked rather than what they brought to learning. It also found that while teaching practices utilized some strength-based pedagogical principles, the teachers viewed their work as being deficient. They did not always recognize their agential power nor did they overtly understand that the technology itself afforded this power. The article concludes with implications for EAL practice and professional learning of teachers who work in the adult sector.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document