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Single Parenting and Children With Chronic Illness: An Understudied Phenomenon

The document discusses how single parents face additional challenges in caring for a child with a chronic illness, as they have to maintain the home and family without another caregiver to help share responsibilities. Between 15-25% of children in the US have a chronic disease or health condition that requires ongoing medical care and lifestyle adjustments. While previous research has looked at the stress that chronic childhood illness places on parents and families, little is known about the unique difficulties faced by single parents raising a child with special health needs.

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81 views1 page

Single Parenting and Children With Chronic Illness: An Understudied Phenomenon

The document discusses how single parents face additional challenges in caring for a child with a chronic illness, as they have to maintain the home and family without another caregiver to help share responsibilities. Between 15-25% of children in the US have a chronic disease or health condition that requires ongoing medical care and lifestyle adjustments. While previous research has looked at the stress that chronic childhood illness places on parents and families, little is known about the unique difficulties faced by single parents raising a child with special health needs.

Uploaded by

leroux2890
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOC, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Ateneo de Zamboanga University College of Nursing Name: Mendoza, Eirees Joy A. Subject: Nursing Elective Module: '()* !

C"ronic llness, #os$ice %alliative Care&

Single Parenting and Children with Chronic Illness: An Understudied Phenomenon +onald ,. -ro.n, %"./., 0ori 1iener, %"./., 2...3, and 0onnie 4eltzer, M./. t is estimated t"at '*5 to 6*5 of t"e c"ildren and adolescents in t"is country suffer from a c"ronic disease or "ealt" condition. ,"ese conditions can affect c"ildren t"roug"out t"eir lives and also affect t"e family unit. ,"e increase in day7to7day caregiving re8uirements, t"e com$le9ities of disease management activities, lifestyle, and family dynamics, alone or collectively, may influence long7term "ealt" outcomes. :urt"ermore, c"ronic "ealt" conditions may affect t"e financial status, and social, community, and sc"ool interactions of t"e c"ild and t"e family. ,"e c"ild or adolescent is affected $ersonally by t"e $at"ology of t"e disease, side effects or treatment, and by t"e re8uired lifestyle and "ealt" management ada$tations. ,"e family is involved in t"e c"ild;s illness management t"roug" re8uirements for care assistance, su$ervision(guidance, travel and time from .or< for "ealt" visits or "os$italizations, cost of care, and t"e effect of t"ese re8uirements on family dynamics and lifestyle. =ver t"e $ast several years, many studies "ave e9amined t"e $otential im$act of c"ild"ood c"ronic illness on $arents and families. n general, t"e literature "as delineated a myriad of stressors t"at $arents may e9$erience, including financial stress, role strains, se$arations, adjustment to t"e various com$onents of t"e medical system, interru$tions in daily routines and $lans for t"e future, and t"e general uncertainty .it" regard to t"e c"ild>s $rognosis. All of t"ese $ossible e9$eriences may lead directly and indirectly to an9iety, de$ression, $ost7traumatic7stress, "o$elessness, and feelings of loss of control. 1"at is not <no.n is "o. single, or ?lone,@ $arents trying to navigate t"e com$le9 needs of maintaining a "ome, family, and a c"ronically ill c"ild ada$t to t"ese c"allenges. ,"e $ro$ortion of c"ildren in t.o7$arent families "as decreased from AB5 to CD5 in t"e last 6* yearsE t"us nearly 6 in )* c"ildren live in single $arent "omes. ,"e most common ty$e of single $arent "ome is one .it" a mot"er $resent, alt"oug" single fat"er "omes are among t"e fastest gro.ing ty$e of family situation in t"is country. Single $arent"ood may occur as a result of loss !deat", se$aration, divorce, or abandonment by one $arent& or by c"oice !ado$tion, assisted re$roductive tec"nology, c"oosing to become or remain $regnant .it"out a $artner& Education - ,eac"ing $eo$le "o. to loo< after t"emselves and t"eir condition can em$o.er t"e c"ronically ill by ma<ing t"em feel in control. Service $roviders, sufferers, family and friends need to be educated in order to understand ."at an individual is feeling and facing in terms of t"eir $rognosis.

+esources: "tt$:((....ncbi.nlm.ni".gov($mc(articles(%MC'F)*'*A(

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