Abstract
Background: Many parents have difficulty managing childhood asthma. In Hong Kong (HK), while medication is the primary form of treatment, traditional Chinese medicine is another favored option. In addition, HK follows a dual-track healthcare system, which may pose unique experiences for Chinese parents in managing childhood asthma. This qualitative descriptive study aimed to explore the experiences of HK Chinese parents in caring for their children with asthma. Methods: Fourteen HK Chinese mothers of children (aged 3–10) suffering from asthma were purposively sampled to participate in individual, semi-structured interviews. A realist approach following conventional content analysis was used to interpret the interviews. Results: The mothers expressed feelings of uncertainty, fear of asthma crises, and searched for ways to cope. As long as their child’s asthma symptoms recurred, the mothers’ distress continued. Their distress was sometimes exacerbated by self-doubt and worries over whether they would receive adequate support from their family and healthcare professionals. Conclusions: Helping parents to understand their limits may help them be more open to varied aspects of their caregiving experiences, and thus to cope better. Psychological interventions together with traditional educational training may help to alleviate the psychological difficulties of parents.
Highlights
Asthma is the most common chronic respiratory disease, affecting over 235 million people worldwide [1]
As of the interview period, eight of the children suffered from asthma symptoms at least one day per week
The mothers stated that a lack of support from their partners exacerbated their distress, which is consistent with findings in other studies of Hong Kong (HK) Chinese families rearing children with chronic and behavioral health problems, such as eczema [28], autism [29], and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder [30]
Summary
Asthma is the most common chronic respiratory disease, affecting over 235 million people worldwide [1]. In China, the growth is even more pronounced [3], in Hong Kong (HK), where the highest rate of prevalence, at 10.2%, occurs in children. HK follows a dual-track healthcare system, which may pose unique experiences for Chinese parents in managing childhood asthma. This qualitative descriptive study aimed to explore the experiences of HK Chinese parents in caring for their children with asthma. Results: The mothers expressed feelings of uncertainty, fear of asthma crises, and searched for ways to cope As long as their child’s asthma symptoms recurred, the mothers’ distress continued. Conclusions: Helping parents to understand their limits may help them be more open to varied aspects of their caregiving experiences, and to cope better
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