Experiences of fathers caring for children with neurodevelopmental disorders: A meta‐synthesis

Parents raising children with neurodevelopmental disorders (NDD) experience greater family, health, and psychosocial dysfunction due to the compounding nature of children's NDD and disease manifestations. Furthermore, the experiences of fathers and mothers are significantly different, and there is a paucity of consolidated evidence on fathers' experiences. A systematic review and meta‐synthesis were conducted using Sandelowski and Barroso's approach. Six electronic databases were searched for relevant articles published between November 2011 and November 2021. Thirty‐eight studies were included in this review. An overarching theme “Out of the Shadows, and Into the Sunshine” emerged along with four main themes: (a) “The Illness Is All the Time”: An Overwhelming Experience, (b) “Navigating health care and Education Systems,” (c) “Strong Alone, Stronger Together,” and (d) “My Child Is Different Not Less: A Different Perspective.” This meta‐synthesis analyzed the facilitators and barriers married fathers of children with NDD faced and suggested a paradigm shift where these fathers are becoming more actively involved in the care of their children. There is a need for family clinicians and therapists and health care, education, and workforce policymakers to collaborate to tackle the current and potential unique barriers faced by fathers of children with NDD. 摘要 由于儿童的神经发育障碍和疾病症状表现具备复合性，抚养患有神经发育障碍 (NDD)儿童的家长经历更多的家庭、健康和社会心理障碍。此外，父亲和母亲的经历存在显著差异，目前的研究缺乏关于父亲经历的综合性证据。本研究使用Sandelowski和Barroso的方法进行了系统性综述回顾和融合研究。所选文章来自6个电子数据库，发表于2011年11月至2021年11月期间。本文综述包括38项研究。统领所有研究的主题是“走出阴影，走向阳光”，同时出现的还有四个主题: (a)“疾病无时无刻不在”: 难以应对的经历，(b)“导航医疗和教育系统”，(c)“一个人时坚强，在一起时更坚强”，(d) “我的孩子与众不同而不是有缺陷: 不一样的视角”。这项文献综述研究分析了抚养NDD孩子的已婚父亲面临的有利的因素和障碍，并提出了一种范式转变，在新的范式下父亲变得更积极地参与到照顾孩子的工作中来。有必要让家庭临床医生和治疗师、卫生保健、教育和劳动力政策制定者一起合作，联合起来共同解决父亲们面临的目前已有的和潜在的特殊的障碍。