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Coping and Meaning-Making Strategies Described by Parents of Children with Medical Complexity
Julia B Tager1, Ansley E Kenney1, Paulina S Lim1
1Psychology Department, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee, WI, USA.
Clinical Practice in Pediatric Psychology
|September 29, 2025
Summary
Parents of children with medical complexity utilize diverse coping strategies, including problem-focused, emotion-focused, and meaning-making approaches. These strategies help manage caregiving challenges and support overall family well-being.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric healthcare research
- Family well-being studies
- Coping mechanisms in caregiving
Background:
- Parents of children with medical complexity (CMC) face significant stressors.
- Existing research on parental coping strategies for CMC is limited.
- The revised Transactional Model of Coping provides a framework for understanding these strategies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To characterize the coping strategies employed by parents of CMC.
- To explore how parents navigate caregiving, healthcare systems, and personal well-being.
Main Methods:
- Qualitative study involving semi-structured interviews.
- Twenty parental caregivers of CMC participated.
- Interviews focused on challenges and coping mechanisms.
Main Results:
- Parents reported using problem-focused and emotion-focused coping strategies.
- Meaning-making strategies were prominent, including celebrating the child, commitment to caregiving, striving to be a good parent, and recognizing gains.
- Diverse coping approaches were identified.
Conclusions:
- Parents of CMC employ a wide range of coping strategies, notably meaning-making.
- Further research with diverse samples is needed to develop culturally informed interventions.
- Interventions should aim to enhance parent and family well-being for those caring for CMC.
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