Trauma, coping, and adjustment when parenting a child with Dravet syndrome

Dravet syndrome (DS) is a severe developmental and epileptic encephalopathy that requires significant caregiver input across the lifespan. This predominantly falls on parents, who are faced with considerable challenges including physical demands, financial burdens, and sustained pressure on mental wellbeing leading to mental health difficulties. We aimed to develop a grounded theory model for the process of coping and adjustment that occurs when caring for a child who has a diagnosis of DS.

Using a Constructivist Grounded Theory methodology, we conducted five focus groups, each with 4-6 participants, and 24 in total. They were recruited via convenience sampling through a national Dravet syndrome patient advocacy group. Focus group dialogue was recorded, transcribed, and coded into themes to generate a theory of coping and adjustment that is grounded in the data.

We developed a model of coping and adjustment for parents caring for a child with Dravet syndrome. The model includes contextual factors that impact on parents (loss and insufficient resource). We found a prominent theme of trauma and explored how parents responded to this trauma over time. All parents described a primary coping response reflecting the high levels of stress they had to contend with. Some parents were able to describe a secondary coping style that appeared to support healthier long-term coping and adjustment.

The study provides novel insight into the ways in which parents cope and adjust to caring for a child with DS, with a focus on adapting to trauma. These insights provide the foundation for the creation of targeted therapeutic interventions for parents of children with developmental and epileptic encephalopathies (DEEs), which we outline and discuss.