sample abstract - for GILAS

SAMPLE ABSTRACT

A Phenomenological Analysis of Filipino Mothers’ Struggle to Cope with a Schizophrenic Child.

Nursing care is not only limited to the client but also involves caring for the family, particularly in chronic disorders such as schizophrenia, which affects around one percent of the population, and results in distress not only for the patient but also for the family. The Philippine health care system is yet to develop comprehensive mental health services, so the family is usually burdened by the client’s care. Understanding and helping enhance carers’ well-being is well recognized as a strategy to reduce frequency of relapse and maintain remission. Mothers are commonly the primary caregiver for people with schizophrenia in the Philippines and deepening nurses’ understanding of this phenomena is needed to provide a richer understanding of the experience of being a care giver in this unique culture, so that better, more effective plans of care can be developed.

Following the Interpretive Phenomenology Analysis guidelines, data from in-depth open-ended interviews were analyzed to better understand the experiences of mothers caring for a child diagnosed with undifferentiated schizophrenia, in the province of Pampanga, Philippines. Data saturation was used as the cut-off point for sampling and six participants’ data were analyzed.

Six themes emerged. ‘Conveying ambiguity’ where participants considered the experience as a test by god, as a consequence for their shortcomings as a parent, caused by other people and as a result of stress. ‘Recognition of faith’ was seen as a source of strength in their struggle. They believed that their faith in god would save their child and themselves from the struggle that the condition brought. ‘Personal and interpersonal struggles’ were expressed about how the situation hurt the participants from within; how greatly disappointed they were with the reality of their struggle; with the social dilemma attached to the condition; the fear that their child will be rejected or will be hurt by other people; and the financial burden that the condition brings. The participant’s ‘acceptance’ of their child’s condition eventually led to incorporating reality into their life with some benefits and detriments which ranged from the thought that they have to stay strong, managing other things in life in a more appropriate way, a change in their outlook, the support coming from other members of the family, mother’s happiness especially in times of remission and the mother’s perceived selflessness. ‘Understanding’ the nature of schizophrenia and its the treatment led to a belief that with proper care and attention, their child will be cured from the disorder.

This paper will further discuss the implications for nurses working with caregivers in an underdeveloped health care system in this unique culture.

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