PURPOSE: To describe the meaning childhood asthma has for mothers of afflicted children. METHOD: The qualitative method, ethnography, was used in this study. Participant observation and indepth interviewing took place in the homes of the participants. Using a method adapted from Spradley (1979), the analysis included uncovering domains, taxonomies, components of meaning, and finally cultural themes. FINDINGS: The overall theme that emerged was "mastering uncertainty." The mothers expressed their experiences in terms of self by describing "internal self" and "actions" during a "passage of time." CONCLUSIONS: These themes can assist nurses and other health care professionals in understanding the meaning of childhood asthma to mothers.
PURPOSE: To describe the meaning childhood asthma has for mothers of afflicted children. METHOD: The qualitative method, ethnography, was used in this study. Participant observation and indepth interviewing took place in the homes of the participants. Using a method adapted from Spradley (1979), the analysis included uncovering domains, taxonomies, components of meaning, and finally cultural themes. FINDINGS: The overall theme that emerged was "mastering uncertainty." The mothers expressed their experiences in terms of self by describing "internal self" and "actions" during a "passage of time." CONCLUSIONS: These themes can assist nurses and other health care professionals in understanding the meaning of childhood asthma to mothers.