From Their Own Response: Experiences of Korean Children with Chronic Illness and Their Families

Abstract

Purpose: This study was done to better understand how sick children and their families define chronic illness; what behaviors they used for managing chronic illness; and how they perceived the socio-cultural context of Korea. Methods: This study was a secondary analysis of qualitative studies. Articles on children with a chronic illness and their families located in electronic databases were selected for review. Twenty one qualitative studies were reviewed. Qualitative studies that had used an analysis tool, the Family Management Style Framework were reviewed. Results: Children with chronic illness and their families tended to accept illness as a negative outcome and thought that they were deprived of the context of normality. In the traditional Korean family style, parents-in-law demand absolute obedience from their daughter-in-law, leading to a conflict between the two parties, which, in turn, may have negatively affected their perceptions of chronic illness. Western and oriental medical treatments were used, and participants sought an array of folk remedies. Conclusion: Culturally specific findings can help to better understand the difficulties faced by children with a chronic illness and their families and can provide invaluable input into the development of culturally appropriate and sensitive nursing interventions.