Conectar
To explore the perceptions and experiences of parents caring for children with paediatric feeding disorders requiring feeding tubes (PFD-T).
A descriptive qualitative approach was adopted in this study.
Using purposive sampling, 12 parents were recruited from paediatric inpatient wards and the outpatient paediatric feeding clinic at a tertiary public hospital in Singapore. Data collection was done from July to December 2024. Semi-structured one-on-one interviews were conducted with the parents (fathers or mothers) until data saturation. Thematic analysis was used to identify themes from the interview content.
A total of three themes and six subthemes were identified, encapsulating the challenges experienced by parents with caregiving and feeding tube management, as well as the sources of support they had. The themes are: (1) A sense of community, (2) Grieving over the loss of normalcy and (3) Facing the unknown.
Parents in this study felt supported being in a community of other parents with children who have PFD-T. It enabled them to gain valuable information and offered them a space where they felt understood. At the same time, they expressed feelings of guilt and isolation, as the caregiving demands led to limited capacity to cater to or interact with other loved ones. Additional challenges parents faced included transitioning between types of feeding tubes and insufficient support from healthcare professionals.
Ethical approval was obtained from the National Health Group Domain Specific Review Board (DSRB 2024/00064) on 8 May 2024.
This study followed the reporting guidelines outlined by the COnsolidated criteria for REporting Qualitative (COREQ) research checklist.
This study did not include patient or public involvement in its design, conduct, or reporting.
To explore the experiences and perceptions of Singaporean parents in managing feeding difficulties among children with developmental disabilities.
A descriptive qualitative study design was used.
Twenty parents were recruited via convenience sampling from a paediatric feeding clinic in a public hospital in Singapore between July and October 2024. One-to-one interviews were conducted using a semi-structured interview guide. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the data.
Four themes were identified: (1) Feeding as a ‘guessing’ game; (2) mutual understanding within the family and community; (3) beliefs regarding developmental disabilities and feeding difficulties; and (4) challenges in accessing adequate support. There were a total of nine subthemes supporting these themes.
This study revealed that parents of children with developmental disabilities faced challenges in adjusting to their child's feeding preferences, dealing with conflicting views on feeding practices among caregivers, and accessing adequate support. Parents also valued instrumental support from grandparents and domestic helpers, as well as emotional support from online peers. Additional research and targeted interventions are needed to better support parents of children with developmental disabilities in managing feeding difficulties.
Policies should facilitate the provision of feeding-specific resources, treatment, and education for parents. Additionally, healthcare providers should proactively assess feeding-related concerns and address misconceptions to enhance parental awareness of feeding difficulties and how they can improve the feeding practices of their children with developmental disabilities. Future research should obtain a more in-depth understanding of how differing beliefs in feeding difficulties between parents can impact the child's developmental outcomes, as well as the support and resources that may address feeding needs in these children.
This study followed the reporting guidelines outlined by the Consolidated criteria for Reporting Qualitative (COREQ) research checklist.
This study did not include patient or public involvement in its design, conduct, or reporting.
FreshRSS 