Coping Strategies and Communication: A Qualitative Exploratory Study of Children with Parents Suffering from Acute Central Nervous System Injury
Coping Strategies and Communication: A Qualitative Exploratory Study of Children with Parents Suffering from Acute Central Nervous System Injury

Summary/Abstract: The purpose of this qualitative study of children having one of the parents affected by a severe central nervous system injury is to explore the role of communication within the children’s coping process, to identify certain patterns of coping and to investigate how these may differ depending on the age of the children. We therefore analyzed 32 counseling sessions with 8 children (4 sessions for each child), from 8 separate families. Three of the children were about 12 years old, while the rest ranged from 14 to 17. The counseling session took place during a five months period, as it follows: a week after the injury occurred, one month later, three months later and five months later. The analysis led us to identify certain coping strategies such as wishful thinking, resignation, distraction or seeking social support. The research is even more important as the studies on the subject are nearly inexistent and it is focused on a category of utmost value – children.

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