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Published on: January 12, 2018
Parents' Experiences With Community Health Nurses' Support in Light of Their Needs and Challenges in Early
Lene Kierkegaard1, Rikke Rothkegel Carlsson1, Camilla Thørring Bonnesen1
1National Institute of Public Health, University of Southern Denmark, Copenhagen, Denmark.
Aim:
To explore parents' experiences of their needs for support in early parenthood and how these needs are addressed by community health nurses.
Design:
Qualitative interviews.
Methods:
We conducted 20 semi-structured interviews with parents from diverse socio-economic and ethnic backgrounds: nine with mothers, seven with couples, and four group interviews. We applied reflexive thematic analysis and were theoretically inspired by Mol's concept of logic of care and Social Support Theory.
Results:
Parents experienced that community health nurses provided context-specific and adaptive support, attentive to families' needs. We identified three themes, illustrating community health nurses' roles from parents' perspectives: (1) an informational and instrumental role; (2) an emotional role; and (3) a bridging role to the broader healthcare and welfare system. These roles must be understood in relation to parents' insecurities about navigating early parenthood, limited social network, and negative experiences with authorities.
Conclusion:
This study offers insight into how community health nurses deliver meaningful, family-centred support during infancy by combining practical guidance, emotional reassurance, and assistance in navigating healthcare and welfare systems.
Implications For The Profession And/Or Patient Care:
The role of community health nurses entails an adaptive, non-judgemental, situational approach, strong communication skills, and time to meet families' unique needs.
Impact:
The findings have direct implications for community-based nursing practice by demonstrating the importance of flexible, relational, and bridge-building support during early parenthood, particularly for families with limited social networks. The study is relevant for universal health systems seeking to strengthen early preventive support.
Reporting Method:
COREQ guidelines.
Patient Or Public Contribution:
Parents contributed through interviews. WHAT DOES THIS PAPER CONTRIBUTE TO THE WIDER GLOBAL CLINICAL COMMUNITY?: This study contributes empirically to debates on early intervention by illustrating how community health nurses combine instrumental, emotional, and bridging support within a universal service model. It highlights how flexibility and time allocation enable tailored, family-centred care and offers insights for developing context-specific interventions in healthcare settings.
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