LIVED EXPERIENCE OF GRANDFATHERS OF CHILDREN WITH DEVELOPMENTAL DELAY
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Authors: Yu-Ping Huang, Chao-Huei Chen
Keywords: child with developmental delay, grandfather, qualitative study, Taiwan
Abstract: Background: Parents require more support from their families when their child has been diagnosed with developmental delay. Grandfathers in Chinese culture possess the highest position in a family and have the authority to allocate resources to their children and grandchildren. However, few studies have examined grandfathers’ experiences related to children with developmental delay, especially in Chinese culture. Aim: This aim of this study was to adopt a phenomenological approach to explore the lived experience of grandfathers of children with developmental delay in Taiwan. Methods: Data collection involved semistructured interviews. All interviews were transcribed verbatim and analyzed using thematic analysis. Both maternal and paternal grandfathers were involved in this study, provided that they expressed a willingness to participate. Results: Seventeen grandfathers participated in this study. Four main findings emerged from the research data: Grandfathers (1) led family members in dealing with family crises, meaning that all family members must actively manage the crisis of the grandchild’s medical problems; (2) worried about the well-being of their grandchildren with developmental delay; (3) fulfilled their responsibilities beyond those of a grandfather, meaning that they cooperated with grandmothers and parents to care for their grandchild; (4) gathered the family to face present and future challenges, indicating that family cohesion was crucial for grandfathers to handle family challenges. Conclusion: The grandfathers provided emotional and practical support their children and their grandchildren with developmental delay when they knew of their grandchildren’s medical needs. The grandfathers offered their companionship and opinions to parents to help them make more informed decisions and reduce the negative effects of such crises on their family. The grandfathers engaged the entire family to improve the well-being of their grandchildren and grandchildren’s parents; this contributed to the well-being of the whole family and their satisfaction with being a grandfather. Contribution: This study provides information on how grandfathers cope with having a grandchild with developmental delay and their roles and functions as a grandfather within Chinese culture. Such knowledge offers health care professionals information to more effectively support grandfathers with a Chinese background.