Managing Expectations: Understanding Parents’ Perceptions of Their Child’s Serious Illness

Abstract

Parenting a seriously ill child is complex and emotionally intense. To further develop Hinds and colleagues’ Good Parent themes: “Keeping a Positive Outlook” and “Keeping a Realistic Outlook,” we reviewed grounded theories published in English language journals from January 2006 to April 2021 identifying 18 studies with relevant results. Parents’ efforts to keep a positive outlook included cognitive (e.g., remain hopeful, avoid negative thinking) and behavioral (e.g., monitoring child for signs of improvement, information seeking) actions. To keep a realistic outlook, parents acknowledged the serious nature of the condition, negative treatment effects, and limitations to treating the child normally. Parents holding both positive and realistic outlooks recognized the seriousness of their child’s illness and remained hopeful while preparing for their child’s death. Our analysis extends the understanding of how parents’ expectations regarding the course and outcome of their child’s illness shape cognitive and behavioral aspects of their parenting.