Living in the dragon's shadow': Fathers' experiences of a child's life-limiting illness

Living in the dragon's shadow': Fathers' experiences of a child's life-limiting illness

Davies B; Gudmundsdottir M; Worden B; Orloff S; Sumner L; Brenner Paul

Death Studies

2004

Death; hospice; Fathers; SSHRC CURA; father experience; child's terminal illness; Death and Dying

Grounded theory methods were used to study the experiences of 8 bereaved fathers whose children received care in a home-based hospice program. In-depth, unstructured interviews were audiotaped, transcribed, and coded for themes and categories. Every aspect of fathers' lives was affected by their experiences, which were described in metaphoric terms as living in a dragon's shadow. Fathers dealt with life in the dragon's shadow by battling the dragon (the illness)--the core social process. Battling was a conscious, active, continuous process that required strength, willpower, and work. Battling occurred within the context of fathers' experiences with fathering and fatherhood and was characterized by 3 aspects: battling with uncertainty, battling with responsibility, and battling with everyday disruption. Fathers were assisted by supportive work environments and by supportive relationships with health care providers. Unsatisfactory relationships with medical personnel compounded fathers' battling with life in the dragon's shadow. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2007 APA, all rights reserved) (from the journal abstract)

Article information provided for research and reference use only. PedPalASCNET does not hold any rights over the resource listed here. All rights are retained by the journal listed under publisher and/or the creator(s).

Journal Article

Backlog