A Qualitative Study Of Hope Reconstruction During The Grief Process In The Family With Intellectual-challenged Children

It is a big loss for those families whose children are diagnosed with intellectualdisabilities, and they will experience the process of grief. The Second China NationalSample Survey on Disability in2006shows that there are5.54million people who arediagnosed with intellectual disabilities. There is a huge number of familes with childrenwith intellectual disabilities in China. The grief of families with children with intellectualdisabilities should be focused.We have respectively conducted close interviews with five families with children withintellectual disabilities, in order to explore the process of grief, especially the process anddetails of hope reconstruction. It was discussed how to reconstruct hope in the family withintellectual-challenged children so as to provide evidence for the effective grief of thosefamilies. Study found that:(1) The grief process of the families interviewed include two stages. In the first stage,the families had sought treatment for their children and then their children were diagnosedwith intellectual disabilities. In the next stage, those families experienced frustration anddesperation, and then accepted the diagnose and reconstructed hope. The three substages ofthe next stage were be alternated and follow cycles.(2) Hopes which reconstructed by those families conclude helping their children studycultural knowledge, life skills, language and music, helping their children keep healthy andpaying insurance for their children to ensure their future life.(3) The families interviewed reconstruct hope based on children’s physiologicalcondition, level of the intellectual disability, interests, speciality, growth stage and family’seconomic condition. Praents’ personality characteristics and social environment also have agreat influence on their process of hope reconstruction.Hope Reconstruction is very important in the grief process of families withintellectual-challenged children. It is one effective way of mental health services to helpingthese families reconstruct hope, which can also provide a new perspective for the GriefTheory and Family Therapy.