Nazanin Shamaeiyan Razavi
Torbat Heydariyeh University of Medical Sciences, Iran
Biography
Introduction: Mothers as primary caregivers of children with autism spectrum disorders need professional support. Also,
helping these mothers requires understanding of their lived experiences. Unfortunately, it is usually forgotten in the health care
programs in Iran. However, the qualitative studies are important to understand lived experiences and mixed method approach
is suggested to confirm the qualitative data.
Objectives: This study aims to uncover the lived experiences of mothers caring for children with autism spectrum disorders
by testing the caring model.
Materials & Methods: The exploratory mixed method study was based on taxonomy model. Qualitative phase was conducted
by phenomenological of hermeneutic on 18 cases of Iranian mothers of children with autism spectrum disorders in Mashhad.
In this study, purposeful sampling was applied and semi-structured interviews for data collection were used. Data analysis was
done with the interpretation methods of Diekelmann, Allen and Tanner. In quantitative phase, qualitative data were used in
constructing the questioner of caring model. After determining reliability and validity, the questioner during a cross-sectional
design on 150 samples of mothers were tested. Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 18 was used for the
analysis.
Results: First, 31 common meaning, 11 sub-themes, and four major themes: 1) spiritual journey, 2) mother or teacher, 3)
taking care of special child, and 4) the child showed priority of life were emerged by interpretation of hermeneutic. Then, three
essential structures as 1) wondering between what is and what will be 2) reflection on the failure in her struggle, and 3) helping
her child is becoming all of the mother’s life were formed. At the end the constitutive pattern was discovered: “taking care by
mothers is being a mother” The themes were confirmed by testing model of caring by survey.