Presenter(s): Emily Boeschoten—Sociology
Faculty Mentor(s): Krystale Littlejohn
Session 3: To Care and How Not to Care, that is the Question…
Nearly one in every five children in the United States have special healthcare conditions (Anon 2017) . Upon diagnosis, the reactions of the parents vary greatly depending on a multitude of factors . The reactions of parents to their child’s disability diagnosis are well documented; however, there is
little to no research on why these reactions take place . This study sought to answer the question, what shapes parental reactions to a child’s disability diagnosis? Twenty parenting blog posts about parents’ reactions to their child’s disability diagnosis were collected and analyzed to answer this question . Primary results suggest that reactions differ based on the child’s age of onset and the actions of the medical professionals relaying the information . For some parents, their strongest memories from their child’s diagnosis were not of the diagnosis itself, but the actions of the medical professionals leading up to and following the diagnosis . Many parents who experienced grief discussed how a disability diagnosis resulted in the death of their expectations for their child’s future, which was exacerbated by their doctors’ use of confusing medical terminology . In conclusion, the actions of medical professionals not only impact a parents’ reaction to their child’s diagnosis but also the subsequent care that the child receives . This research is significant because it shows that the meaning attached to a disability diagnosis depends not just on the label itself, but also on how the diagnosis is delivered . This has important implications for medical training on bedside manner .