Mothers' Experiences of Living Worried when Parenting Children with Spina Bifida

This study describes the lived experience of mothers of children with spina bifida. Thirteen mothers of children between the ages of 12 and 18 years participated in at-home, audiotaped interviews. Each participant was asked to describe, through narrative, what it is like to be the mother of a child with spina bifida. The researcher used Heideggerian hermeneutical methodology to transcribe and analyze interview texts. Examination of the data revealed the constitutive pattern living worried and its two relational themes: treating them like other children and staying in the struggle. Nurses can use narratives to create supportive relationships with mothers of children with disabilities and to pursue research that extends the understanding of these women and their struggles.