earticle

영어

This is qualitative research using grounded theory to examine the experiences that mothers of children with epilepsy can have. Data were collected through in-depth interviews, observation, and memo-taking with a total of 13 participants in this study—10 mothers taking care of children with epilepsy and 3 principal informants— and the data were analyzed using the method developed by Strauss and Corbin (1998). As a result of data analysis, 163 concepts, 26 subcategories and 8 categories were formed through open coding. Such categories were analyzed by the paradigm of the grounded theory, and as a result the experiences of the mothers of epileptic children were based on a causal condition of ‘confrontation’ and the central phenomenon of ‘Wandering around the forest under a yoke’. The contextual conditions, which exerted influence on phenomena, were ‘stigma cognition’, ‘personality traits’ and ‘health of children.’ The action/interaction strategy selected by participants was ‘Quietly pulling through: Bracing myself, Getting to know my enemy and myself , Taking care while hiding, Putting out one step at a time, Establishing a foothold. The intervening condition affecting action/interaction was ‘the support system’, and its result was ‘watching.’