| Asthma is the most common chronic illness among children in the United States, and families who have a child with asthma face daily challenges to maintaining a normal family life. A descriptive, cross-sectional study was performed that studied four risk factors and four protective factors derived from the literature that impact these families, in order to better understand how nurses can meet the health care needs of the children with asthma and their families. Knafl's (1990, 1996) family management styles framework was applied as the theoretical framework of the study, and the concept of normalization was measured using the Family Management Measure (FaMM). The sample consisted of 43 parent dyads that had a child with asthma, who answered questions about their family, the child's asthma, and various dimensions of managing daily life with an ill child. Regression models were generated to determine the effect of the risk and protective factors on the outcome variable of normalization. The maternal and paternal scores on the FaMM were compared and were significantly correlated (r = 0.532, rho < 0.001), while also exhibiting a significant difference in mean scores (t = 2.73, p = 0.009). The risk factor of asthma severity had a statistically significant effect on family normalization. Based on study findings, nurses should assess for differences between parents in managing their child's asthma. Also, nurses should increase interventions for the child who has severe asthma because the child and family are at increased risk for difficulty in achieving normalization. Recommendations are made to perform studies that include children with other chronic illnesses and to include a wider variety of family configurations. |
