TY - JOUR
T1 - Extended family support for parents faced with life-support decisions for extremely premature infants
AU - Kavanaugh, Karen
AU - Nantais-Smith, Leanne M.
AU - Savage, Teresa
AU - Schim, Stephanie Myers
AU - Natarajan, Girija
PY - 2014
Y1 - 2014
N2 - Purpose: To outline parents' descriptions of extended family involvement and support surrounding decision making for their extremely preterm infant. Design: Collective case study design in a prospective, descriptive, longitudinal research. Seventy-five digitally recorded interviews were done with parents before and after the birth. Sample: Fifty-four parents (40 mothers, 14 fathers). Main Outcome Variable: Categories of family involvement and support in the parents' decision making. Results: Most parents did not seek advice from family members for life-support decisions made prenatally. Instead, parents made the decision as a couple with their physician without seeking family input. Family members provided certain types of support: emotional support, advice and information, prayer, and instrumental help such as child care. Most parents described at least one way their family supported them. For postnatal and end-of-life decisions, parents were more likely to seek advice from extended family in addition to the other forms of support.
AB - Purpose: To outline parents' descriptions of extended family involvement and support surrounding decision making for their extremely preterm infant. Design: Collective case study design in a prospective, descriptive, longitudinal research. Seventy-five digitally recorded interviews were done with parents before and after the birth. Sample: Fifty-four parents (40 mothers, 14 fathers). Main Outcome Variable: Categories of family involvement and support in the parents' decision making. Results: Most parents did not seek advice from family members for life-support decisions made prenatally. Instead, parents made the decision as a couple with their physician without seeking family input. Family members provided certain types of support: emotional support, advice and information, prayer, and instrumental help such as child care. Most parents described at least one way their family supported them. For postnatal and end-of-life decisions, parents were more likely to seek advice from extended family in addition to the other forms of support.
KW - Extremely premature infants
KW - Family support
KW - Parent decision making
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84906091849&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1891/0730-0832.33.5.255
DO - 10.1891/0730-0832.33.5.255
M3 - Article
C2 - 25161133
AN - SCOPUS:84906091849
VL - 33
SP - 255
EP - 262
JO - Neonatal Network
JF - Neonatal Network
SN - 0730-0832
IS - 5
ER -