Abstract and Introduction
Abstract
Introduction The purpose of this study was to explore the day-to-day life of mothers dealing with preschool children who have behavioral disorders and to explore the mothers' experiences with their children's health care.
Method A qualitative design was used to explore mothers' experiences in their day-to-day lives. A purposive sample of eight mothers was interviewed in their homes. A recorded face-to-face format was used that included open-ended, semi-structured questions.
Results Two major themes emerged from the day-to-day experiences of these mothers: "abandoning my other child" and "parenting in unsupportive environments."
Discussion The theme of "parenting in unsupportive environments" reflects the frustrations the mothers felt in their day-to-day lives while trying to find help for their children. The theme of "abandoning my other child" refers to the siblings of the children with behavioral disorders being overlooked by the mothers because so much of the mothers' attention and time was given to the child with the behavioral disorder.
Introduction
The preschool years (ages 2 to 5 years) can be a difficult time for most parents. Children at this age often engage in aggressive and rebellious behaviors. For most children, some aggressive or rebellious behaviors are a normal developmental milestone (Green & Palfrey, 2007). Usually, these behaviors pass quickly as the children learn to control their behaviors and develop alternative methods of accomplishing their objectives (Green & Palfrey, 2007). When children fail to control their behavior and are unable to verbalize their problems, they may resort to frequent aggressive behavior as an outward manifestation of their emotions. Typically, parents do not perceive their children's behaviors as inappropriate until the child is in a structured environment, such as a preschool setting, where aggressive behaviors are not tolerated (Tremblay et al., 2004).
Few data exist about the day-to-day needs of parents who are dealing with preschool-aged children who have been diagnosed with behavioral disorders. When parents do decide that they need help with day-to-day struggles with their young children, data indicate that health care providers and teachers frequently were not receptive to the parents' concerns, causing the parents to feel alone and inadequate (Harden, 2005). The purpose of this study was to explore the day-to-day life of mothers dealing with preschool children who have behavioral disorders and to explore the mothers' experiences with their children's health care. Through the use of phenomenological methodology, this article describes the day-to-day lives of eight mothers who have had preschool children with behavioral disorders. On the basis of the mothers' experiences, implications for nursing education, school health nursing, and nursing research are presented so nurses can provide better care for families dealing with preschool children who have behavioral disorders.