Chronic sorrow: one mother's experience with two children with lissencephaly.
The concept of chronic sorrow has been used to describe the reaction of parents to the ongoing losses associated with caring for a child with chronic illness or disability. A middle-range theory of chronic sorrow provides a framework for further understanding of this phenomenon. This theory is applied to a case of a family burdened with the unrelenting stress of caring for 2 children with lissencephaly. With an understanding of chronic sorrow, nurses can plan interventions that recognize it as a normal reaction, promote healthy adaptation, and provide empathetic support.
Scornaienchi
Jean M
JM
APRN-BC, Bancroft NeuroSciences Institute, 201 King's Highway South, Cherry Hill, NJ 08034, USA. jscornaienchi@bnh.org
D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D001294:Attitude to Health; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000002:abnormalities*; D002648:Child; D002654:Child Care / Q000379:methods / Q000523:psychology; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002658:Developmental Disabilities / Q000209:etiology / Q000523:psychology; D019988:Children with Disabilities / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006117:Grief; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009035:Mothers / Q000193:education / Q000523:psychology*; D024802:Nurse's Role; D015404:Nursing Methodology Research; D009742:Nursing Theory; D010371:Pediatric Nursing / Q000379:methods; D011368:Professional-Family Relations; D012640:Seizures / Q000209:etiology / Q000523:psychology; D012944:Social Support