Families With Children Who Are Technology Dependent
- 9 December 2010
- journal article
- research article
- Published by SAGE Publications in Western Journal of Nursing Research
- Vol. 34 (1), 52-71
- https://doi.org/10.1177/0193945910389623
Abstract
This cross-sectional study examined family functioning and normalization in 103 mothers of children ≤16 years of age dependent on medical technology (mechanical ventilation, intravenous nutrition/medication, respiratory/nutritional support) following initiation of home care. Differences in outcomes (mother’s depressive symptoms, normalization, family functioning), based on the type of technology used, were also examined. Participants were interviewed face-to-face using the Demographic Characteristics Questionnaire, the Functional Status II–Revised Scale, the Center for Epidemiological Studies–Depression Scale, a Normalization Scale subscale, and the Feetham Family Functioning Survey. Thirty-five percent of the variance in family functioning was explained primarily by the mothers’ level of depressive symptoms. Several variables were significant predictors of normalization. Analysis of variance revealed no significant difference in outcomes based on the type of technology used. Mothers of technology-dependent children are at high risk for clinical depression that may affect family functioning. This article concludes with clinical practice and policy implications.Keywords
This publication has 45 references indexed in Scilit:
- MENTAL HEALTH OF MOTHERS CARING FOR VENTILATOR-ASSISTED CHILDREN AT HOMEIssues in Mental Health Nursing, 2006
- Economic and psychologic costs for maternal caregivers of gastrostomy-dependent childrenThe Journal of Pediatrics, 2004
- Childhood Chronic Illness: A Comparison of Mothers’ and Fathers’ ExperiencesJournal of Family Nursing, 2000
- Parenting a Technology Assisted InfantSocial Work in Health Care, 1997
- Perception of the Impact of a Child??s Chronic IllnessJournal of Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics, 1996
- Caregivers of Frail Elderly and Medically Fragile Children:Home Health Care Services Quarterly, 1993
- The Unknown and the Unknowable-Managing Sustained UncertaintyWestern Journal of Nursing Research, 1993
- A power primer.Psychological Bulletin, 1992
- The moderator–mediator variable distinction in social psychological research: Conceptual, strategic, and statistical considerations.Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 1986
- The CES-D ScaleApplied Psychological Measurement, 1977