After a Child’s Traumatic Brain Injury: An Ethnographic Study of Being a Parent
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Examining Committee Member(s) and Their Department(s)
Goodwin, Donna (Faculty of Physical Education and Recreation)
Joyce, Anthony (Department of Psychiatry)
Yager, Jerome (Department of Paediatrics)
Caine, Vera (Faculty of Nursing)
Pushor, Debbie (Department of Curriculum Studies, University of Saskatchewan)
Persad, Sujata (Department of Paediatrics)
Goez, Helly (Department of Paediatrics)
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Abstract
A growing body of literature proposes that parenting can facilitate or hinder a child’s recovery after a traumatic brain injury (TBI). Therefore, health care providers need to understand parental experiences so that they can tailor their services to meet child and parent needs. Providing care that is well-suited and developed based on parent experiences may optimize the family environment for a child with a TBI. This thesis includes two studies: 1) a systematic review examining literature on understanding the impact moderate-to-severe TBI in a child has on family functioning (Chapter 2), and 2) an ethnographic study that explored meanings associated with being a parent of a child with a severe TBI (Chapter 4). Overall, it is evident that moderate-to-severe TBI has a long-standing impact on family functioning and parental meanings, and that factors associated with family adaptability vary by parental role. Also included in this thesis is a methodological paper to provide an overview of how ethnography as a methodology evolved over time and how it has been used in health research (Chapter 3).