Anne C McKechnie1, Kathy A Johnson2, Maureen J Baker3, Sharron L Docherty4, Steven R Leuthner5, Suzanne Thoyre6. 1. Child and Family Health Cooperative, School of Nursing, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, United States of America. Electronic address: acmckech@umn.edu. 2. College of Nursing, Chamberlain University, Downers Grove, IL, United States of America. 3. MSN Division, School of Nursing, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, United States of America. 4. School of Nursing, Duke University, Durham, NC, United States of America. 5. Division of Neonatology, Department of Pediatrics and Bioethics, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, United States of America. 6. PhD Division, School of Nursing, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, United States of America.
Abstract
PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to chronicle the adaptive challenges and adaptive work, including emerging leadership behaviors, recounted over time by the parents of very young children diagnosed before birth with life threatening conditions. DESIGN AND METHODS: A descriptive, follow-up study design was used for the current study. Following the original grounded dimensional analysis study completed in 2012, the corpus for this analysis was collected in 2014. In-depth, audio-recorded interviews were conducted with 15 families (8 couples, 7 mothers). The 15 children, born with cardiac, abdominal, and cerebrospinal anomalies, were 14 - 37 months or deceased at follow-up. A directed content analysis of transcribed verbatim interviews was structured by the Adaptive Leadership framework. RESULTS: Parents described behaviors that indicated a non-linear development towards adaptive leadership as they accomplished the adaptive work within intra- and interpersonal domains that was necessary to address challenges over time. Not all parents described abilities and/or a willingness to mobilize others to do adaptive work, suggesting that adaptive leadership remained an unrealized potential. CONCLUSIONS: Understood as a complex adaptive system, parents of medically at-risk children hold potential for development towards adaptive leadership and collaborative partnership within the family and with healthcare providers. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: Due to improved survival rates, parents face ongoing challenges related to their children's unpredictable and often chronic health needs. Study findings illustrate parents' adaptive work and leadership behaviors, which can inform nursing assessments, as well as the type and timing for intervention.
PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to chronicle the adaptive challenges and adaptive work, including emerging leadership behaviors, recounted over time by the parents of very young children diagnosed before birth with life threatening conditions. DESIGN AND METHODS: A descriptive, follow-up study design was used for the current study. Following the original grounded dimensional analysis study completed in 2012, the corpus for this analysis was collected in 2014. In-depth, audio-recorded interviews were conducted with 15 families (8 couples, 7 mothers). The 15 children, born with cardiac, abdominal, and cerebrospinal anomalies, were 14 - 37 months or deceased at follow-up. A directed content analysis of transcribed verbatim interviews was structured by the Adaptive Leadership framework. RESULTS: Parents described behaviors that indicated a non-linear development towards adaptive leadership as they accomplished the adaptive work within intra- and interpersonal domains that was necessary to address challenges over time. Not all parents described abilities and/or a willingness to mobilize others to do adaptive work, suggesting that adaptive leadership remained an unrealized potential. CONCLUSIONS: Understood as a complex adaptive system, parents of medically at-risk children hold potential for development towards adaptive leadership and collaborative partnership within the family and with healthcare providers. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: Due to improved survival rates, parents face ongoing challenges related to their children's unpredictable and often chronic health needs. Study findings illustrate parents' adaptive work and leadership behaviors, which can inform nursing assessments, as well as the type and timing for intervention.
Authors: Joanna C M Cole; Julie S Moldenhauer; Kelsey Berger; Mark S Cary; Haley Smith; Victoria Martino; Norma Rendon; Lori J Howell Journal: Arch Womens Ment Health Date: 2015-09-21 Impact factor: 3.633
Authors: Anne Chevalier McKechnie; Kari Erickson; Matthew B Ambrose; Sophie Chen; Sarah J Miller; Michelle A Mathiason; Kathy A Johnson; Steven R Leuthner Journal: Patient Educ Couns Date: 2020-08-18