Ethnographic Deterction and Description of Family Strategies for Child Care: Applications to the Study of Cerebral Palsy

Abstract

Presented a framework for describing and classifying patterns, or strategies, used by families who have children with moderate to severe cerebral palsy, in caring for their child. Forty families were administered a structured interview regarding details of their day-to-day experience in caring for their child. Four reliably distinct patterns were identified. The patterns were compared with respect to other characteristics of the family. Results suggest at least three patterns that appear to be relatively adaptive, and one that appears relatively less so. Results are discussed in terms of the definition of successful family adaptation, the heterogeneity of adaptive family patterns in this population, and some clinical implications.