July 10, 2014
Volunteers needed for a study on family coping, child resilience
We are seeking help with a research project about how families deal with a child's chronic illness. We hope to learn about how families use positive coping strategies as they experience the challenges that come with a child's illness.
We would like to know how families experience childhood chronic illness. We'd also like to know about how they define resilience and what positive coping techniques they used throughout their experience.
We would like to interview parents of children between the ages of 1 and 10 who have a child with a current chronic illness or who have had a chronic illness in the past. The child's illness should be chronic — lasting a minimum of three months — but not life threatening. Examples of illnesses include, but are not limited to: asthma, allergies, muscular or skeletal issues, issues of nutrition or food intake, exposure to environmental hazards, skin conditions, and/or gastric or digestive issues.
Parents will talk to an interviewer about the experience of helping a child with a chronic illness. The interview will be audio recorded and last about 30-45 minutes.
The things we learn from the study will be reported to participants in the study, to other general audiences and to professionals who are interested in this topic. No names or information that would identify you will be included in the reports.
If you would like to know more, or you're interested in participating in the study, please contact Tobi Omodehinde, McNair Scholars Program, at tobilola@k-state.edu.
The project director is Karen Myers-Bowman, School of Family Studies and Human Services, 785-532-1491, karensm@k-state.edu.