Summary
Findings from this study highlight several important
factors when considering research with families of
chronically ill children. Parents of child ren w ith neuro-logical conditions face many challenges on a daily
basis. In addition to everyday child-rearing practices,
they also have to manage often complicated medical
conditions. How parents respond to their child’s needs
and experiences may additionally help the child cope
with the experience of living with a chronic condition.
This, in turn, has implications for improving the func-tioning of the entire f amily. I ntervention r esearch needs
to be developed t o f acilitate the t ransition of c are from
hospital to home.
The findings from this study lay the groundwork
for future research involving parents of children with
chronic conditions. Parents experience an increased
level of anxiety during a child’s hospitalization.
However, this acute period is when they are provided
with education on how to care for their child at home.
Children with neurological conditions are unique in
the sense that they often experience exacerbations of
their condition, whic h r esults in repeat hospitalizations.
This is challenging f or parents w ho now a lso need to
know ho w t o he lp t heir youn g c hild co pe with h ospital
stays and medical procedu r es. T he family is burde ned
with the responsibility of minimizing behavioral re-gression while helping to promote the cognitive and
emotional development of their child during these
acute events. Parents often are not even aware of the
effects a hospitalization may have on a young child.
Future research needs t o f ocus on the effects of
r e peated hospitalizations and determine how parents