[Process of parental acceptance of a child's disability: literature review]

This study used a literature review to examine the process of parental acceptance regarding disability in a child. Our results identify two main theoretical concepts, stages of grief and chronic sorrow, which describe the emotional responses that parents express following the diagnosis of a child's disability. Stages of grief involve a long-term process through which parents struggle to accept their child's condition, eventually leading to acceptance of their child's disability. Alternately, chronic sorrow describes parental life-long sadness throughout their child's lifetime, periodically repeating at critical times in their child's development. Researchers in Japan have developed a disability acceptance model that combines both concepts. This study found that analysis and interpretation of the parental acceptance process varied with each researcher. It is essential for health care professionals who provide support to children with disabilities to understand the process which parents as primary caregivers undergo to accept the conditions of their child's disability. Knowledge of the main theoretical concepts will give them a broader perspective of the parental acceptance experience. Additional systematic studies are recommended to further understand this issue.