Walker, Melanie, 1977- (2009) Managing boundaries: paternal and professional caring of children with chronic, life threatening or life limiting illness. DClinPsych thesis, University of Warwick.

Abstract

It is recognised that research in paediatric palliative and complex care is in the early stages. Chapter One examines the available literature of fathering a child with a chronic, life threatening or life limiting illness. The research reviewed supports the notion that fathers are under-represented in paediatric palliative and complex care. The findings highlight that men express their vulnerability in gender specific ways, which has implications for support and service provision. Particular gaps in the research on fathers are highlighted, in relation to the long term impact of fathering a child with life limiting, life threatening, or chronic condition, fathers’ needs in the marital dyad, and studies on the efficacy of father focused interventions. Chapter Two explores health professionals’ experiences of managing boundaries, in the context of paediatric complex and palliative care in the community. The findings indicate that there are a number of issues relating to boundaries that require balancing and which have an impact on service provision and professional wellbeing. Chapter Three is a reflection on the research journey, particularly developing the boundary discussion with regard to ethics. This includes reflections on research in paediatric palliative care, the boundaries of this research, overlaps with clinical practice, and personal and professional learning.

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