Date of Award
2020
Document Type
Dissertation
Publication Status
Version of Record
Submission Date
October 2026
Thesis/Dissertation Advisor [Chair]
Barry, Charlotte D.
Abstract
The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the process of complex healthcare decision-making by parents for their children within the milieu of a pediatric palliative care team. As healthcare has advanced, the number of children living with complex chronic conditions has increased. Decision-making by parents for their children referred to palliative care has not, up to this point, been widely explored by nursing. A purposeful sample of 22 participants, parents of children in life-limiting or life-threatening situations were asked: What matters most during the process of complex healthcare decision-making? A constant comparative method was used to analyze data collected from semistructured interviews and the theory of embodying parenting in the midst of conflicting complexity emerged. J. Watson’s (2020) theory of human caring grounded the researcher in living caritas processes throughout the study. All participants experienced a disruption of their expected parenting and family normal. Through constant comparative data analysis, the core category of embodying parenting was identified. Feeling respected as the parent, thoughtfully making right decisions, and maintaining presence support embodying parenting. The basic social process identified was finding a unique path. The process of finding a unique path included connecting with a supportive community, claiming decisional authority, moderating negative thoughts and feelings, and adjusting expectations. Living in peace was achieved by finding a unique path to embodying parenting in the midst of conflicting complexity. For the participants in this study, accepting circumstances, feeling gratitude, and perceiving life differently led to living in peace.
Extent
135 p.
Recommended Citation
Olafson, Elizabeth A., "FINDING A UNIQUE PATH: EMBODYING PARENTING IN THE MIDST OF CONFLICTING COMPLEXITY WITHIN PEDIATRIC PALLIATIVE CARE" (2020). Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2020 - Present. 519.
https://digitalcommons.fau.edu/etd_general/519
Identifier
FA00013599
Comments
Includes bibliography.|Dissertation (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2020.|FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection|Includes bibliography.