A Mother's Reactions to an Infant With an Abnormality
Canadian Family Physician Medecin De Famille Canadien
|February 1, 2011
Summary
Parents experience distinct emotional stages, including denial, guilt, grief, depression, anger, and acceptance, when a child is born with complete tracheal atresia. Physicians can guide families through these reactions with support and advice for better coping.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Medicine
- Psychology
- Genetics
Background:
- Complete tracheal atresia is a rare and severe congenital anomaly.
- The birth of a child with such a condition presents significant emotional challenges for parents.
Purpose of the Study:
- To interpret a mother's emotional journey following the birth of a child with complete tracheal atresia.
- To outline the stages of parental reaction to congenital anomalies.
- To provide guidance for healthcare professionals in supporting affected families.
Main Methods:
- Qualitative analysis of a mother's personal account of her experiences.
- Description of emotional stages: denial, guilt, grief, depression, anger, and acceptance.
Main Results:
- Parental reactions follow a predictable, albeit individual, pattern of emotional stages.
- Understanding these stages is crucial for effective parental support.
Conclusions:
- Physicians play a vital role in helping families accept and understand congenital anomalies.
- Emotional support and a framework for decision-making aid families in coping with abnormal newborns.
Related Concept Videos
01:20Attachment
Attachment is vital for infant development, as warm social interactions support growth and well-being. In a classic 1958 study by Harry Harlow, the significance of warmth and comfort in forming attachments was examined. Harlow separated newborn monkeys from their mothers and provided two artificial "mothers": one made of cold wire and the other covered in soft cloth. Despite the wire mother offering food, the infant monkeys preferred the comfort of the cloth mother, demonstrating that physical...
00:55Parental Care
Many animals exhibit parental care behavior, including feeding, grooming, and protecting young offspring. Parental care is universal in mammals and birds, which often have young that are born relatively helpless. Several species of insects and fish, as well as some amphibians, also care for their young.
01:07Teratogenicity
The ability of a drug to produce structural deformations and functional abnormalities in the developing embryo or the fetus is called teratogenicity, and the drug producing this effect is known as a teratogen. Teratogenic effects include stillbirth, miscarriage, intrauterine growth restriction, and neurocognitive delay. A teratogen may affect the embryo at different stages of development, which is important in determining the type and extent of the damage. During blastocyst formation, the early...
01:22Development of Immunocompetence
The initiation of cell-mediated immunity can be observed as early as the third month of fetal growth, with active antibody-mediated immunity following approximately one month later.
The initial cells that migrate from the fetal thymus settle within the skin and epithelial tissues lining the mouth, digestive tract, and in females, the uterus and vagina. These cells, including skin-based dendritic cells, serve as antigen-presenting cells, playing a key role in T cell activation.
Subsequent T...
The initial cells that migrate from the fetal thymus settle within the skin and epithelial tissues lining the mouth, digestive tract, and in females, the uterus and vagina. These cells, including skin-based dendritic cells, serve as antigen-presenting cells, playing a key role in T cell activation.
Subsequent T...
01:19Autism Spectrum Disorder
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental condition marked by persistent deficits in social communication and interaction alongside restrictive and repetitive behaviors or interests. ASD is sometimes accompanied by intellectual impairment.
These core symptoms manifest differently among individuals, ranging from mild to severe. The disorder's complexity extends beyond its clinical presentation, encompassing a diverse range of biological, cognitive, and sociocultural influences.
These core symptoms manifest differently among individuals, ranging from mild to severe. The disorder's complexity extends beyond its clinical presentation, encompassing a diverse range of biological, cognitive, and sociocultural influences.
01:28Relationship with Parents: Attachment
Parent-child interactions lay the foundation for how we understand relationships throughout life. These interactions are not uniform across families; instead, they are shaped by a range of environmental, emotional, and behavioral factors unique to each caregiver-child dynamic. Social psychologists study these early relationships to understand how patterns formed in infancy influence social functioning and interpersonal behavior in adulthood.Attachment Theory and Early Relational ModelsJohn...