title: Living with parental multiple sclerosis: children's experiences and clinical implications.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Health professionals need to understand how chronic illness affects all family members.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  This study explored the everyday experiences of children who have a parent with multiple sclerosis.
  
  
  METHODS
  Exploratory, semi-structured interviews were conducted with eight Queensland children, aged 7 to 14 years. Videotapes were transcribed verbatim and analysed inductively.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Themes were labelled changing roles and responsibilities, emotional impact, and things that helped. Participants described taking on additional roles and responsibilities that restricted their participation in developmentally appropriate occupations, the emotional and practical impact of having a parent with MS and different methods they employed to cope with this impact.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The findings emphasise the need for therapists to look beyond the diagnosed individual and see MS as a chronic illness affecting the whole family. Occupational therapists might assist parents and children to maintain their occupations through the provision of appropriate interventions and connection to referral networks.
authors.affiliation: School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, QLD 407. m.turpin@shrs.uq.edu.au
authors.forename: Merril
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Turpin
authors.forename: Christine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Leech
authors.forename: Louisa
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Hackenberg
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D016241:Child of Impaired Parents / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D009103:Multiple Sclerosis; D009788:Occupational Therapy / Q000458:organization & administration*; D010290:Parents