Constantly responsible, constantly worried, constantly blessed: parenting after pediatric heart transplant.
BACKGROUND
Very little research has focused on the long-term caregiving demands associated with parenting a child after a transplant or on the parents' perceptions of those demands.


OBJECTIVE
To describe parents' experiences parenting a school-aged child after heart transplant.


METHODS
Focused ethnography.


METHODS
Eleven parents of children who had undergone heart transplant 2 or more years before the study were recruited from a large children's hospital.


METHODS
Parents were interviewed in a private location of their choice. Verbatim interview transcripts were analyzed by using content analysis and constant comparison.


RESULTS
The parents described their experiences in positive terms, yet acknowledged hardships. Key themes included (1) constantly responsible, (2) constantly worried, (3) constantly blessed, and (4) coping with life. The identified themes provide direction for interventions to help parents cope with the experience of parenting a child after heart transplant.
Green
Angela
A
Arkansas Children's Hospital, Little Rock 72202, USA. GreenAL@archildrens.org
Meaux
Julie
J
Huett
Amy
A
Ainley
Kathy
K
D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D000884:Anthropology, Cultural; D001007:Anxiety / Q000523:psychology; D001131:Arkansas; D001294:Attitude to Health; D002648:Child; D017281:Cost of Illness; D005260:Female; D016027:Heart Transplantation / Q000451:nursing / Q000523:psychology; D006701:Home Nursing / Q000523:psychology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015404:Nursing Methodology Research; D016487:Parenting / Q000523:psychology*; D010290:Parents / Q000523:psychology*; D036301:Qualitative Research; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires