title: The lived experience of foster parents of children with special needs living in rural areas.
abstract: The experience of 10 foster families living in rural communities in the Northeastern United States was explored through phenomenological inquiry. Through an unstructured interview approach, parents were asked to describe what it was like to parent foster children with specialized health care needs. Recorded interviews were transcribed verbatim and analyzed using van Manen's method. Data analysis revealed that parents fostering children in rural communities have concerns related to accessing medical care and decision making. They expressed feelings of being overwhelmed and unprepared, isolated, and stigmatized.
authors.affiliation: Thomas Jefferson University, School of Nursing, Nursing Education Center, Danville, PA, USA. lauverls@ptd.net
authors.forename: Lori S
authors.initials: LS
authors.lastname: Lauver
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001294:Attitude to Health; D002648:Child; D002908:Chronic Disease / Q000451:nursing*; D005260:Female; D005581:Foster Home Care / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000523:psychology; D006297:Health Services Accessibility; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand; D006701:Home Nursing / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000523:psychology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009511:New England; D015404:Nursing Methodology Research; D010290:Parents / Q000523:psychology*; D036301:Qualitative Research; D019035:Rural Health Services / Q000458:organization & administration*; D020377:Self Efficacy; D012934:Social Isolation; D013240:Stereotyping; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires