Startseite Medizin Detached, distraught or discerning? Fathers of adolescents with chronic illness: a review of the literature
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Detached, distraught or discerning? Fathers of adolescents with chronic illness: a review of the literature

  • Henry Goldstein , Christina Akré , Richard E. Bélanger und Joan-Carles Suris EMAIL logo
Veröffentlicht/Copyright: 12. Januar 2013

Abstract

Parenting a child with chronic disease provides a unique set of challenges for both mothers and fathers throughout all phases of the illness. However, fathers of these children are under-represented in existing research. This review focuses on the fathers of children with chronic disease included in 44 original articles. We address the challenges to the father’s role as breadwinner, leader and strength-giver in the family. Three time-periods describe the obstacles fathers tackle when parenting children with chronic disease: a) diagnosis and short-term, characterized by distress, isolation and uncertainty; b) the mastery period, characterized by the struggle to establish routine and by support and spirituality; and c) the long-term, characterized by relationship and personality change, worries and bereavement. Overall, whilst current research has revealed some key themes pertaining to fathers of children with chronic disease, further studies are required to foster the development of support mechanisms for the specific needs of these fathers.


Corresponding author: Joan-Carles Suris, MD, PhD, Research Group on Adolescent Health, Institute of Social and Preventive Medicine, Lausanne University Hospital, Batiment Biopole 2, Route de la Corniche 10, 1010 Lausanne, Switzerland

Henry Goldstein undertook this work during a final-year medical student elective at the Research Group on Adolescent Health in Lausanne, Switzerland.

Conflict of interest statement

Competing interests: none.

Funding: none.

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Received: 2011-11-16
Accepted: 2011-12-28
Published Online: 2013-01-12
Published in Print: 2013-06-01

©2013 by Walter de Gruyter Berlin Boston

Heruntergeladen am 23.12.2025 von https://www.degruyterbrill.com/document/doi/10.1515/ijamh-2013-0018/html
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