Lived Experience of the Mother's Caring of Adult Children with Persistent Vegetative State

Yang, Young Mi; Kim, Jeung Im

doi:2017.23.4.287

Korean J Women Health Nurs > Volume 23(4); 2017 > Article

Original Article

Korean Journal of Women Health Nursing 2017;23(4):287-298.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.4069/kjwhn.2017.23.4.287 Published online December 27, 2017.

Lived Experience of the Mother's Caring of Adult Children with Persistent Vegetative State

Young Mi Yang, Jeung Im Kim

¹Department of Nursing, Backsuk University, Cheonan, Korea.
²School of Nursing, Soonchunhyang University, Cheonan, Korea. jeungim@sch.ac.kr

Abstract

PURPOSE
The purpose of this study was to deepen understanding the nature of the care experience by the mothers with adult children in persistent vegetative state.
METHODS
Participants were 7 mothers caring for their adult children in persistent vegetative state. Data were collected individually through in-depth interviews on their lived experiences. Also texts were included as data from literary works, novels, movies, essays, and arts containing on patients with persistent vegetative state and their mothers. Data were analyzed by van Manen's phenomenological methodology.
RESULTS
The essential themes of caring experiences of the mothers were as follows. The theme in relation to lived time has shown as back to the past and caring experience related lived body has emerged as locked the body in children. The theme related lived space was getting into the swamp and the theme in lived others was derived as lonely struggle into.
CONCLUSION
The nature of mothers' caring experiences for adult children in persistent vegetative state is summarized as ‘Do not off hand of hope in a locked state’. This study suggests long-term supports are necessary for mothers to care persistent vegetative state children.

Key Words: Adult children; Caring; Mothers; Persistent vegetative state; Qualitative research