Journal of Family Nursing

Having an infant requiring care in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) is challenging for parents. The aim was to investigate the effects of the Family Health Conversation (FamHC) model on self-reported mental health, family wellbeing, and family functioning in parents of infants requiring mechanical respiratory support during NICU care. This interventional study included 147 parents (72, intervention group; 75, control group). All participants received a study-specific questionnaire at three time points. The intervention trended toward positive effects on mental health, family wellbeing, and family functioning. However, all measurements showed considerable variation, and the estimated effects were not statistically significant at the 0.05 level. Regardless of the intervention, mental health symptoms decreased over time, whereas family wellbeing and functioning remained stable. To conclude, although the intervention trended favorable for all outcomes, no significant differences were observed between groups. Potential effects might be better identified using qualitative methodology or self-reporting measures in a larger sample.

To evaluate the family members’ psychosocial support during specialist palliative inpatient care. Cross-sectional study. The “Family Involvement Scale–Psychosocial Support in Palliative Inpatient Care” (FIS-PS-InPal) questionnaire was used to collect data from family members from specialized palliative care wards across Finland. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. In total, 171 family members from 16 wards across Finland participated in the study. Family members evaluated the support they received as close to ideal, with 19.9% of participants reporting that the support was less than desired. They rated psycho-emotional support and support practices as the strongest and informational support as the weakest. The psychosocial support that family members receive in specialist palliative care is generally adequate. However, efforts should be made to improve how information is communicated. The study underscores the importance of evaluating and addressing the unique support implementation for families in palliative care.

Feeding children is part of family caregiving. Children with Down syndrome have increased risks for feeding problems, but there is limited literature on caregiving specific to feeding children with Down syndrome. The purpose of this study is to understand mothers’ experiences related to feeding their 3- to 10-year-old children with Down syndrome within family and sociocultural contexts. This was a qualitative study using interviews and photo-elicitation. Twenty-nine mothers of children with Down syndrome in the United States participated. Three themes were identified: (a) Feeding Challenges and Foodwork Related to the Child’s Feeding Attributes, (b) Family Dynamics and Routines that Impact Foodwork, and (c) Influence of Family and Sociocultural Norms on Feeding Experiences. Mothers engage in complex family caregiving work to feed their children with Down syndrome. Feeding can be influenced by child and family characteristics and by sociocultural contexts. Findings have implications for clinical practice and research.

This qualitative review aims to synthesize the evidence on nurses’ experience of intervening with fathers when providing care to their young children. Five databases were searched. Inclusion criteria were (a) nurses’ experience, (b) intervention with fathers, (c) written in English or French. Data were extracted by two independent reviewers. Qualitative thematic synthesis of 17 peer-reviewed studies was performed by 12 family nurse researchers from six countries. Three analytical themes were identified: “Conceiving of the father’s role in terms of his involvement within the family”; “Working with fathers based on the nurse’s individual conception of the paternal role”; and “Developing a sense of efficacy in working with fathers.” The results highlight the importance of raising family nurses’ awareness of fathers’ individual realities. Training in this regard makes it possible to modify nurses’ perceptions of the paternal role and to promote the adoption of father inclusive practices within the family.

This study aimed to learn how a sequence of family-systemic therapeutic conversations created a context to respond to the challenges and needs of a family raising a child with intellectual disability. The data for this qualitative, exploratory, longitudinal single-case study were collected at a Swiss Family Systems Care Unit. The three therapeutic conversations conducted with a single mother of an adolescent with intellectual disability were analyzed using summarizing and explicative content analysis on the within-data source level and structuring content analysis on the across-and-between data source level. The main category, “gaining more ease by modeling burdens and suffering,” refers to a better balance of the woman’s challenges cumulating to deep suffering. Six subcategories detail the challenges, needs, interventions, and effects. Therapeutic conversations in families with multiple severe vulnerabilities are supportive. The study was written according to the Standards of Reporting Qualitative Research and the Methodological Framework for Organizational Case Studies.