Reciprocity in Caregiving Experience between Parent Caregivers and their Children with Eczema

Abstract

Taking care of children with eczema is considered to be an incessant journey which generates tremendous psychological burden for parents. Parents typically experience conflicting attitude and behaviour towards their children. Literatures, however, suggest that some parents can gradually adjust their caregiving attitude and turn adversities into blessings, despite the agonising incidents encountered. Objectives of this study are to explore the change in caregiving attitude of parents of children with eczema, and to conceptualise the transformation process of this change. Parent caregivers of primary school children with eczema were recruited for semi-structured interview. The interview focused on 1) their attitudinal and behavioural changes, 2) how they make sense of the changes, and 3) their personal reflection on the changes in the caregiving journey. Twenty-five parents of children with eczema were recruited for semi-structured interview, and thematic analysis was performed on the transcribed data. A transformation model based on Reciprocity in caregiving with three major themes was identified: 1) Dynamics between giving and receiving, 2) Switching between victim and survivor role, and 3) Insight expedition between parents and children. The revelation of Reciprocity in caregiving provides a personal growth dimension for parents in understanding their role when taking care of children with eczema. Instead of the root of problem and the cause of sorrow, their children with eczema can become the origin of gratitude and the source of blessings in the family. The results of this study depict a perceptual shift from ‘caregiving of children’ to ‘learning from children’, and identify a crucial direction when developing psychosocial intervention program for parents of children with eczema in future.