장애아동 어머니의 양육경험에 대한 질적 연구

Abstract

ABSTRACT

Qualitative Study of Caring Experiences by Mothers of Child with Disabilities

Kim Mi Ryang Advisor : Prof. Kim Jin Sook Dept. of Social Welfare, Graduate School of Chosun University

This study aims to understand the life of mothers of children with disabilities and draw agreement of social welfare practice for them by reorganizing their caring experiences. For this, interview with mothers of children with five types of disabilities was conducted. Data were collected with in-depth interviews from April, 2010 to Sep., 2011. For verifying validity of research results, advice from peers and reconfirmation through research participants were achieved. As a result of research, mothers of children with disabilities experienced the following common problems. First, they foreboded their child's disability and experienced confusion. Second, they experienced mental and emotional difficulties such as shock and denial of disability diagnosis, distrust of medical diagnosis, guiltiness and anxiety, frustration and depression. Third, they felt shrinking in interpersonal relations due to social prejudice and negative awareness of disability. Fourth, they made efforts to understand their children with disabilities and improve interpersonal relations and showed mature changes in awareness of disability by using welfare services actively. But, they also felt economic burden of education and treatment for children with disabilities and had guiltiness not to care for their other children without disabilities. Fifth, they showed strong motherhood to take the responsibility for their children with disabilities for their future. Mother of children with severe disabilities have vague fear for what will be happened in future and mothers of children with mild disabilities felt high anxiety for social adaptation in children. Their expectation of self-support and social integration of children with disabilities varied depending on the degree of disability types and they expressed responsibility for caring their children with disabilities and also desire for self-realization. With these results of the research, their experience to care for their children with disabilities should be considered and how to apply it to social welfare practice should be emphasized.