Determining family relations through drawing: Family relations in images drawn by immigrant children

Purpose: The aim of the study was to evaluate family relations of immigrant children with the drawing method. Design and methods: The sample, which was carried out using the visual phenomenology method, consisted of 60 immigrant children between the ages of 4–14. The data were collected by face-to-face interviews with the children and family, using the Family Information Form and the Family Drawing Test. The data obtained from the drawings were analyzed with the MAXQDA 2022 program. Results: The pictures drawn by the children were examined and 3 themes (Chaos, Necessity, Development) and 9 sub-themes (Interpersonal Relations, Thoughts about Future, Violence, Authority, Emotional State, Communication, Needs and Desires, Role Modeling, Personality) were formed. Conclusions: It was determined that the family relations of immigrant children were adversely affected, children had conflicts with family members, were exposed to violence, felt many emotions, such as fear, anxiety, loneliness, anger, longing, exclusion, and needed communication, attention, and support. Implication to practice: It is thought that nurses could use the picture analysis method to understand the feelings and thoughts of children

Awareness about abuse of parents who have children with epilepsy

*Turan, Fatma Dilek ( Aksaray, Yazar )Objectives: The aim of the study was to evaluate of awareness about abuse and related situations of parents who have 4-6 age group children with epilepsy. Methods: The study included 204 parents with children diagnosed with epilepsy who applied to Akdeniz University Hospital Pediatric Neurology, Antalya Education-Research Hospital Pediatric Clinics between 15 January 2019 and 10 March 2020. The data were collected through a questionnaire form created in line with the literature, the "Abuse Awareness Scale for Parents" developed by Pekdogan. High scale scores indicate that parents' awareness of abuse is high. Written consent from Akdeniz University Faculty of Medicine Clinical Research Ethics Committee, institutions, scale owners, informed consent was obtained from parents. Results: Parents who have children with epilepsy have a moderate awareness of abuse. About 89.2% of the parents are mothers. Abuse awareness scores are 56.911 +/- 4.714. Fathers, parents who have girls have higher awareness of abuse. As the child's mental disability increases (slightly to heavy), parents' awareness of abuse also increases. Parents with high levels of abuse awareness described risky persons as familiar people, neighbors, foreigners, risky environments as educational institutions, go on a visit to, public transportation, and risky situations as child's seizure, age, degree of mental disability, and abuser's alcohol-substance use. Conclusion: It is disappointing that important action-environments in Turkish culture pose a risk of abuse. It is attention getting that the education institutions are found to be risky by parents and the health professionals are not expressed in the prevention of abuse. Health-care professionals should inform children with epilepsy and their parents about child abuse

Awareness about potential abuse among parents of children with autism spectrum disorder

Objectives: The aim of this study was to determine the abuse awareness level and related characteristics of parents with children aged 4-6 years diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Methods: A total of 74 parents of children with ASD who presented at a university or an educational research hospital, or with children enrolled at 2 special education rehabilitation centers in January 2019–March 2020 were included in the study. The data were collected in face-to-face interviews using a family information form and the Abuse Awareness Scale for Parents. The analysis included t-test comparison of independent groups, calculation of number and percent-age distribution, and analysis of variance. Ethics committee and institutional approval, as well as permission from the creator of the scale, were obtained and the parents provided informed consent. Results: The scale scores indicated that the parents' awareness of abuse was high. Of the parents participating in the study, 92.40% were mothers. The mean scale score was 66.114±4.418. Parents identified the following factors most often as a source of risk: substance abuse of an abuser (92.00%), the parents’ lack of information about abuse (88.50%), and the gender of the child (82.20%). They saw strangers (93.60%) as somewhat more threatening than known individuals (90.50%), and indicated that they thought abuse was more likely to occur on the street/in the community (79.60%) than in educational institutions (69.70%). Professionals they deemed most important in the prevention of abuse were the police (81.20%) and psychologists (80.40%); other health professionals received little to no mention. Parents indicated that if they suspected abuse, the most common sources of redress would be prosecutors (94.30%) and the police (92.30%). Conclusion: Although the awareness level of potential abuse of their children was high, the parents interviewed felt that they lacked sufficient information about abuse. It is noteworthy that the parents did not consider healthcare professionals other than psychologists as having a meaningful role in the prevention of abuse. Training and counseling about the prevention of abuse for parents of children with special needs provided by pediatric and community mental health nurses could help raise awareness and knowledge of the community resources available to parents, as well as supplement a sense of caring and security. © 2021 by Journal of Psychiatric Nursing