A metasynthesis: mothering other-than-normal children

Area of Science:

• Qualitative research synthesis
• Maternal and child health
• Disability studies

Background:

• Growing need for collective knowledge on mothering children with disabilities.
• Variability in child disability, demographics, and study methodologies.
• Limited synthesized understanding of mothers' unique caregiving experiences.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize qualitative studies on mothering other-than-normal children.
• To develop collective knowledge for supporting mothers of children with disabilities.
• To identify common themes and stages in the maternal caregiving journey.

Main Methods:

• Utilized Noblit and Hare's (1988) comparative method for qualitative synthesis.
• Conducted a metasynthesis of 12 qualitative studies.
• Included a total sample of 79 mothers.
• Employed reciprocal translation for theme extraction.

Main Results:

• Identified 13 common themes across the included studies.
• Further analysis revealed 4 distinct steps in the mothering experience.
• Themes were categorized under these 4 developmental stages.
• Key findings highlight the importance of supportive health professionals and maternal hope.

Conclusions:

• Mothers of children with disabilities benefit from supportive healthcare professionals.
• Encouraging mothers to question societal definitions of normalcy is crucial.
• Hope is a significant factor in sustaining maternal caregiving.
• Findings offer practical applications for healthcare providers and support systems.