The impact of a child's chronic illness on fathers.

The purpose of this study was to examine the lived experience of fathers with a child having a chronic illness. This study used phenomenology as the design and the theoretical framework. Research on fathers with a child having a chronic illness is very limited. Five fathers were interviewed for this study to obtain their perspective. Living with financial strain, limited social life, lack of intimacy, being the primary caregiving parent to another child, and concerns about the future were the overriding themes of this study. Nurse practitioners must offer fathers professional support and encouragement to discuss fears and feelings openly in an effort to assist fathers in adaptation to their child's diagnosis of a chronic illness.