Unseen struggles: The psychosocial toll of raising a child with functional neurological disorder
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.53685/jshmdc.v6i2.337Keywords:
Functional Neurological Disorder, Psychology, Parental, Stress, Caregiving Burden, Qualitative Research, Diagnostic And Statistical Manual Of Mental Disorders (DSM-V)Abstract
Background: Functional neurological disorder (FND) is characterized by neurological symptoms that are inconsistent with structural or known pathophysiological causes.
Objective: To explore the psychosocial experiences of parents raising a child with FND, focusing on emotional distress, social challenges, and financial burdens.
Methods: The phenomenological approach to exploratory qualitative research was used, with a nonprobability purposive sampling strategy to collect the data. The parents of children (n=12) having FND were recruited from a private hospital in Lahore, Pakistan. A demographic sheet and semi-structured interview guide were used to collect data. Braun & Clarke's (2009) 6-step approach to thematic analysis was used for data analysis in NVivo.
Results: There were six fathers and six mothers of children with FND, varying between 25 and 45 years of age, with a mean age of 35±2 years, from Lahore. The themes that emerged from the thematic analysis were psychological stressors and socioeconomic and caregiving burdens. The subthemes were emotional stressors, anxiousness and depression, lack of social support, financial burdens, difficulties in time management, and social isolation and stigma.
Conclusion: Having special children can affect parental interpersonal connections and psychological well-being. Healthcare leaders and authorities need to consider the special needs of affected parents.
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