scholarly journals Exploring the Lived Experiences of Mothers of Children With Intellectual Disability in Ghana

SAGE Open ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 215824401774557 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mabel Oti-Boadi

This study explored the experiences of mothers of children with intellectual disability in Ghana. Specifically, the study sought to determine the challenges and coping strategies associated with raising a child with intellectual disability. Using the phenomenological approach, 11 mothers were purposively selected from mothers whose children attended a “special” school. Semistructured interviews were used to collect data on the experiences of mothers of children with intellectual disability. Data were analyzed and interpreted into six themes including emotional reactions, caregiving challenges, societal reactions, knowledge of the condition, perceived cause of the condition, and coping strategies. The findings of the study demonstrate that being a mother of a child with intellectual disability is beset with several negative experiences of stress; however, mothers recounted the valuable nature of their coping strategies including spiritual beliefs, support, and hope in raising their children with intellectual disability. This study highlighted the challenging nature of having a child with intellectual disability and the beneficial roles of coping strategies in helping mothers traverse the caregiving journey with their children. This study provides relevant information for mental health practice, policy, and research, and serves as a guide in developing intervention programs for parents of children with intellectual disability in Ghana.

2021 ◽  
pp. 074355842110078
Author(s):  
Anna L. Brichacek ◽  
Kristen Murray ◽  
James T. Neill ◽  
Elizabeth Rieger

Adolescence involves significant developmental changes and challenges including heightened body image concerns. However, there is limited research on adaptive ways of responding to perceived threats to body image. This study uses body image flexibility, derived from contextual behavioral perspectives, and coping theories to explore young people’s responses to body image threats. High school and university students (12 male, 15 female) aged 12 to 24 years were recruited from educational institutions in a metropolitan area of Australia. Thematic analysis of semistructured interviews identified themes related to body image threats from internal and external sources. In response to these threats, young people reported coping by changing the content of, and how they related to, perceived threats, and seeking social support. In addition, young people viewed coping as a dynamic process that changed over time and across situations. Reported processes of attending to, and allowing, momentary negative experiences and connecting with other important life domains were consistent with body image flexibility. The coping context affected the selection of coping strategies, with body image flexibility facilitating more adaptive coping for some participants. Further investigation of contextual behavioral approaches, such as body image flexibility, could help to better understand and promote adaptive body image coping in youth.


2016 ◽  
Vol 30 (2) ◽  
pp. 101-112 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adam James Miles ◽  
Rich Neil ◽  
Jamie Barker

The purpose of this study was to explore the stress, emotion, and coping (SEC) experiences of elite cricketers leading up to and on the day of their first competitive fixture of the season. Four elite male cricketers (M = 21.25, SD = 1.5) completed Stress and Emotion Diaries (SEDs) for the 7-day period leading up to and on the day of their first competitive fixture of the season. We then interviewed the cricketers to explore the content of the SEDs in more detail. We used semistructured interviews to glean insight into the stressors, cognitions, emotions, coping strategies, and behaviors. Inductive and deductive content data analysis provided a holistic and temporal exploration of the SEC process underpinned by the cognitive-motivational-relational theory of emotions (Lazarus, 1999). The results highlighted the ongoing and continuous nature of the SEC process while illustrating the coping strategies the cricketers used leading up to and on the day of competition.


PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (7) ◽  
pp. e0254252
Author(s):  
Suzanne Rose ◽  
Josette Hartnett ◽  
Seema Pillai

Increasing cases, insufficient amount of personal protection equipment, extremely demanding workloads, and lack of adequate therapies to save lives can contribute to a psychological burden directly related to working during disease outbreaks. Healthcare workers (HCWs) are at a high risk of contracting COVID-19 due to its ability to spread efficiently through asymptomatic and symptomatic individuals. There are limited studies assessing the pandemic’s psychological impact on HCWs, specifically those in close proximity to hospitalized patients with COVID-19. Our study explored the emotions, perceived stressors, and coping strategies of front-line HCWs at high risk of exposure to COVID-19 during the first surge at our community-based teaching hospital, the epicenter of COVID-19 in Connecticut. A validated comprehensive questionnaire derived and modified from previous epidemics was used to inquire about staff feelings, factors that caused stress and factors that mitigated stress. Personal coping strategies and factors that can increase staff’s motivation to work during future events of similar nature were also asked. Emotional reactions, coping mechanisms, and stressors varied by healthcare role, while some experiences and reactions were similar among groups. Willingness to participate in a second wave of the pandemic or future outbreaks is strongly driven by adequate personal protective equipment, financial recognition, and recognition from management, similarly reported in previous disease outbreaks. All groups felt a reduction in stress due to a sense of camaraderie and teamwork, as well as when sharing jokes or humor with colleagues. Our HCWs at high risk of exposure experienced significant emotional distress during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. By understanding the needs and experiences of our HCWs at highest risk, we can improve our psychological support using targeted interventions during future waves of this pandemic or similar devastating events.


2017 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 164 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dwi Karina Ariadni ◽  
Yayi Suryo Prabandari ◽  
Sumarni DW

Introduction: Children with intellectual disability have the same sexual needs as the average children. Parents are their children’s primary sex educators, but many parents are afraid of talking to their children about sex. The purpose of this study to explore the perception of parents in providing sex education to children with intellectual disability. Methods: A qualitative study using phenomenological approach. Focus group discussion (FGD) and in-depth interviews (face-to-face) with ten parents having children with mild or moderate intellectual disability, aged nine-eighteen years registered at SLB Negeri 1 Yogyakarta. Colaizzi method was used to identify core themes and patterns. Results: Four themes were found: the importance of sex education for children with intellectual disability, the mother has the most important role in providing sex education, the distinction of sex education for children with intellectual disability, religion is important in sex education. Conclusions: Perception of parents in providing sex education to children with intellectual disability is different from parents with normal children. Parents should be earlier deliver sex education to protect them from sex abuse and the method of giving sex education with practice. The role of parents, especially mother is very important to provide sex education than father.


Author(s):  
Sarah Deck ◽  
Brianna DeSantis ◽  
Despina Kouali ◽  
Craig Hall

In team sports, it has been found that team mistakes were reported as a stressor by both males and females, and at every playing level (e.g., club, university, national). The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of partners’ play on performance, emotions, and coping of doubles racquet sport athletes. Seventeen one-on-one semistructured interviews were conducted over the course of 6 months. Inductive and deductive analysis produced the main themes of overall impact on performance (i.e., positive, negative, or no impact), negative emotions (i.e., anger), positive emotions (i.e., excitement), emotion-focused coping (i.e., acceptance), and problem-focused coping (i.e., team strategy). These athletes acknowledge that how their partner plays significantly affects not only their emotions but also their own play and their choice of coping strategies. Future research should try to understand which forms of coping reduce the impact of partners’ play.


Author(s):  
Milena von Kutzleben ◽  
Birgit Panke-Kochinke

In this chapter, results from the qualitative longitudinal Selbstbestimmung und Intervention (SEIN) study conducted at the DZNE site in Witten are presented and discussed against the background of a previously conducted systematic review of the subjective needs, demands, and coping strategies of community-dwelling people with dementia. The objective of the study was to examine how participants of dementia self-help groups in the early and middle stages of the condition cope with their illness. A phenomenological approach with a life-course perspective served as the framework for the study. The findings suggest that a person's self-concept is not changed by dementia but instead adapts over the trajectory of the illness. Struggling between external control (defence against stigmatization) and external protection (being taken seriously), and aiming for “Inner Security” were central concerns for the participants. Biographical background and social network are determining factors in the development and use of coping strategies.


2017 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
N. Somasekhar

The present study was designed to assess and compare perceived stress and coping strategies in parents of children with autism and parents of intellectual disability. For this purpose, Questionnaire on resource and stress and Brief cope scale were administered on 30 parents of children with autism and intellectual disability, selected from Hyderabad. For statistical analysis, Means, standard deviation and t- test were used. Results revealed that there was no significance in Perceived Stress and Coping Strategies for parents of children with Autism and parents of intellectual disability. Parents of children with Autism are experiencing more Stress and seeking more social support than the parents of Intellectual disability.


Author(s):  
Laura Elvira Prino ◽  
Dawid Scigala ◽  
Matteo Angelo Fabris ◽  
Claudio Longobardi

Siblings play an important role in psychological and relational development in the lifecycle, especially if the family includes brothers or sisters with intellectual disability. The main objective of this study was to examine whether the relationships experienced by siblings of people with intellectual disability (ID-sibs) and siblings of people with typical development (TD-sibs) influence their ways of coping with stress and anxiety level, with particular emphasis on gender differences. The participants were 187 adults, of whom 104 (55.6%) were females aged 18 to 76 years (M = 29.42; SD = 11.93). Of our sample, 51.9% (N = 97) had a sibling with an intellectual disability and 48.1% (N = 90) had a sibling with typical development. The participants completed a self-report questionnaire that assessed demographics, sibling-relationship quality, anxiety, and coping orientations to problems experienced. The results show that women report a higher quality of relationship with ID-sibs compared to men and to women who have TD-sibs. The results further indicate that women with ID-sibs had higher levels of anxiety and used Transcendent-Oriented coping strategies more frequently. Lastly, gender moderated the relation between relationship quality and coping strategies in diverse ways in the two groups considered. The implications of the overall results are that sibling-focused interventions should focus on improving negative sibling relationships in order to reduce the impact of difficulties on TD siblings of both genders and that the content and delivery framework of interventions should be shaped accordingly.


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