The purpose of this article is to describe the family life-path theory. The theory may offer nurses an alternative model for use in working in partnership with the family of a child with a long-term illness. It is important that nurses have a deep understanding of a family’s everyday life. The better nurses know the family and the context in which it lives, the more individual advice and coping strategies that they are able to find in partnership with a family, and thus to support the family in achieving a good quality of life. The theory describes the life of a family of a child with asthma as a lifepath. The dimensions of the family’s life-path are environment, the child’s becoming ill, the family’s view of health, their attitude towards illness, everyday routines and social network. The unpredictability of asthma, optimism about the future and normalization of life are factors that guide families towards achievement of a good quality of life for their child.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Aamodt, A.M. (1991) ‘Ethnography and Epistemology: Generating Nursing Knowledge’, in J.M. Morse (ed.) Qualitative Nursing Research. A Contemporary Dialogue, pp. 40–53. Newbury Park, CA: Sage .
2.
Anderson, K.H. (2000) ‘ The Family Health System Approach to Family Systems Nursing ’, Journal of Family Nursing6(2): 103–119 .
3.
Artinian, N.T. (1991) ‘Philosophy of Science and Family Nursing Theory Development’, in A.L. Whall and J. Fawcett (eds) Family Theory Development in Nursing: State of the Science and Art, pp. 43–54. Philadelphia, PA: F.A. Davis Company .
4.
Baggaley, S.E. (1997) ‘The Family. Images, Definitions and Development’, in D.A. Whyte (ed.) Explorations in Family Nursing, pp. 27–38. London: Routledge .
5.
Dickinson, A.R. and Digman, D. (2002) ‘ Managing It: A Mother’s Perspective of Managing a Pre-school Child’s Acute Asthma Episode ’, Journal of Child Health Care6(1): 7–18 .
6.
Dodgson, J.E., Garwick, A., Blozis, S.A., Patterson, J.M., Bennett, F.C. and Blum, R.W. (2000) ‘ Uncertainty in Childhood Chronic Conditions and Family Distress in Families of Young Children ’, Journal of Family Nursing6(3): 252–266 .
7.
Donnelly, E. (1994) ‘ Parents of Children with Asthma: Examination of Family Hardiness, Family Stressors, and Family Functioning ’, Journal of Pediatric Nursing9(6), 398–407 .
8.
Englund, A-C., Rydstrom, I. and Norberg, A. (2001) ‘ Being the Parent of a Child with Asthma ’, Pediatric Nursing27(4): 365–374 .
9.
Friedman, M.M. (1998) Family Nursing. Research, Theory and Practice (4th edn). Stamford, CT: Appleton & Lange .
10.
Hellman, C.G. (1991) Culture, Health and Illness. Oxford: Butterworth-Heinemann .
11.
Hentinen, M. and Kyng‰s, H. (1998) ‘ Factors Associated with the Adaptation of Parents with Chronically Ill Child ’, Journal of Clinical Nursing7(4): 316–324 .
12.
Horner, S.D. (1998) ‘ Catching the Asthma: Family Care for School-aged Children with Asthma ’, Journal of Pediatric Nursing13(6): 356–366 .
13.
Hulme, P.A. (1999) ‘ Family Empowerment: A Nursing Intervention with Suggested Outcomes for Families of Children with a Chronic Health Condition ’, Journal of Family Nursing5(1): 33–50 .
14.
Hymovich, D. (1984) ‘ Development of the Chronicity Impact and Coping Instrument: Parent Questionnaire (CICI: PQ) ’, Nursing Research5(3): 294–308 .
15.
Häggman-Laitila, A. and Åstedt-Kurki, P. (1994) ‘ What Is Expected of Nurse–Client Interaction and How These Expectations Are Realized in Finnish Health Care ’, International Journal of Nursing Studies31(3): 253–261 .
Jessop, D.J. and Stein, R.E. (1985) ‘ Uncertainty and its Relation to the Psychological and Social Correlates of Chronic Illness in Children ’, Social Science and Medicine20(10): 993–999 .
18.
Jokinen, P. (1999) Astmaa sairastavan lapsen perheen elämänpolku – etnografia astmaa sairastavien kouluikäisten lasten perheiden elämästä [The Life Path of a Family of a Child with Asthma – An Ethnographic Study of the Life of Families of School-aged Children with Asthma]. Kuopio, Finland: Kuopio University Publications E. Social Sciences, No. 77 .
19.
Jones, P.S. and Meleis, A.I. (1993) ‘ Health Is Empowerment ’, Advances in Nursing Science15(3): 1–14 .
20.
Kurnat, E.L. and Moore, C.M. (1999) ‘ The Impact of a Chronic Condition on the Families of Children with Asthma ’, Pediatric Nursing25(3): 288–232 .
21.
Leininger, M. (1991) ‘Ethnonursing: A Research Method with Enablers to Study the Theory of Culture Care’, in M. Leininger (ed.) Culture Care Diversity: A Theory of Nursing, pp. 73–117. New York: National League for Nursing Press .
22.
Leininger, M. (1995) Transcultural Nursing. Concepts, Theories, Research and Practices (2nd edn). New York: Greyden Press .
23.
MacDonald, H. (1996) ‘ “Mastering Uncertainty”: Mothering the Child with Asthma ’, Pediatric Nursing22(1): 55–59 .
24.
MacLachlan, M. (1997) Culture and Care. Chichester: John Wiley .
25.
Magnus, P. and Jaakkola, J.J.K. (1997) ‘ Secular Trend in the Occurrence of Asthma Among Children and Young Adults: Critical Appraisal of Repeated Cross-sectional Surveys ’, British Medical Journal314: 1795–1799 .
26.
Remes, S. (1998) Epidemiology of Asthma and Allergy in School-aged Children. Kuopio, Finland: Kuopio University Publications D. Medical Sciences No. 141 .
27.
Rydstrom, I., Dalheim Englund, A-C. and Sandman P-O. (1999) ‘ Being a Child with Asthma ’, Pediatric Nursing25(6): 589–595 .
28.
Spradley, J.P. (1979) The Ethnographic Interview. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston .
29.
Strake, M. and Möller, A. (2002) ‘ Parents’ Needs for Knowledge Concerning the Medical Diagnosis of Their Children ’, Journal of Child Health Care6(4): 245–257 .
30.
Tapp, D.M. (2000) ‘ The Ethics of Relational Stance in Family Nursing: Resisting the View of “Nurse as Expert” ’, Journal of Family Nursing6(1): 69–91 .
31.
Whyte, D.A. (1992) ‘ A Family Nursing Approach to the Care of a Child with a Chronic Illness ’, Journal of Advanced Nursing17: 317–327 .
32.
World Health Organization (WHO) (2000) The Family Health Nurse. Context, Conceptual Framework and Curriculum. Copenhagen: Health Documentation Services, WHO Regional Office for Europe .
