After a Child’s Traumatic Brain Injury: An Ethnographic Study of Being a Parent

• Author / Creator

  Rashid, Marghalara

• A growing body of literature proposes that parenting can facilitate or hinder a child’s recovery after a traumatic brain injury (TBI). Therefore, health care providers need to understand parental experiences so that they can tailor their services to meet child and parent needs. Providing care that is well-suited and developed based on parent experiences may optimize the family environment for a child with a TBI. This thesis includes two studies: 1) a systematic review examining literature on understanding the impact moderate-to-severe TBI in a child has on family functioning (Chapter 2), and 2) an ethnographic study that explored meanings associated with being a parent of a child with a severe TBI (Chapter 4). Overall, it is evident that moderate-to-severe TBI has a long-standing impact on family functioning and parental meanings, and that factors associated with family adaptability vary by parental role. Also included in this thesis is a methodological paper to provide an overview of how ethnography as a methodology evolved over time and how it has been used in health research (Chapter 3).

• Subjects / Keywords

  • Traumatic Brain Injury
  • Child
  • Ethnography
  • Parents

• Graduation date

  Spring 2016

• Type of Item

  Thesis

• Degree

  Doctor of Philosophy

• DOI

  https://doi.org/10.7939/R3125QJ0M

• License

  This thesis is made available by the University of Alberta Libraries with permission of the copyright owner solely for non-commercial purposes. This thesis, or any portion thereof, may not otherwise be copied or reproduced without the written consent of the copyright owner, except to the extent permitted by Canadian copyright law.