Parenting Children With Chronic Medical Needs: A Phenomenological Inquiry

Abstract

Children with chronic medical needs and their families encounter multifaceted and intersecting challenges, including heightened psychological stress, emotional burden, financial strain, educational barriers, and caregiver burnout. Although existing literature has begun to document these difficulties, it often falls short in capturing the depth, complexity, and meaning embedded within parents’ lived experiences. To address this gap, the present hermeneutic phenomenological study centers the voices of parents raising children with chronic medical needs through in-depth qualitative interviews. By examining how parents interpret and navigate these experiences, this study offers nuanced insights that extend beyond surface-level descriptions of burden. The findings provide meaningful implications for counselors seeking to deliver developmentally responsive, systemic, and family-centered support to this population.