Therapeutic letters: A qualitative study exploring their influence on the hope of parents of children receiving pediatric palliative care in Portugal

Title

Therapeutic letters: A qualitative study exploring their influence on the hope of parents of children receiving pediatric palliative care in Portugal

Creator

Fonseca R; Carvalho M; Querido A; Figueiredo MH; Bally J; Charepe Z

Identifier

Publisher

Journal for Specialists in Pediatric Nursing

Date

2021

Subject

children; hospital; nursing; pediatric palliative care; hope; qualitative research; therapeutic letters

Description

PURPOSE: The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to explore the hope experiences of parents of children diagnosed with complex chronic conditions (CCCs) who received therapeutic letters. DESIGN AND METHODS: A purposive sample of 10 parents of inpatient children with CCCs was recruited from a pediatric palliative care unit in a Portuguese public hospital. A demographic form and audio-recorded semi-structured, face-to-face interviews were conducted with each participant to explore the experiences, processes, and meanings of hope, and to describe how parents of children receiving pediatric palliative care perceived the usefulness of receiving therapeutic letters. The interviews were transcribed verbatim, and using a thematic analysis, a systematic approach to data analysis was completed. FINDINGS: Data analysis resulted in three main themes including Trust in the Future; Strengthening Hope; and Moments of Hope. Findings highlight the positive influence of therapeutic letters including supporting parental hope, facilitating personal inner-strengthening, recognition of parental skills, and promotion of self-efficacy during hospitalization. The themes and related subthemes add value to the existing literature and highlight the need for supportive palliative nursing care aimed at promoting parental hope. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: To optimize the value of supporting parental hope, therapeutic letters can be delivered at the time of diagnosis, during times of celebration, and when learning the difficult tasks of daily childcare. Additional research can inform the development of a formal hope-based intervention to provide an evidence base from which to enhance the well-being of parental caregivers of children who have CCCs.

Rights

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).

Citation List Month

March 2021 List

Collection

Citation

Fonseca R; Carvalho M; Querido A; Figueiredo MH; Bally J; Charepe Z, “Therapeutic letters: A qualitative study exploring their influence on the hope of parents of children receiving pediatric palliative care in Portugal,” Pediatric Palliative Care Library, accessed March 18, 2024, https://pedpalascnetlibrary.omeka.net/items/show/17476.