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Lifestyle of mothers of disabled persons whose disability originated in perinatal period
WITZANYOVÁ, Aneta
The birth of a child is always a big change in the family. However, the birth of a child who has specific needs means in most cases a big change for the mother and a completely new arrangement of her future life. Differences in lifestyle have their positive but also negative sides. The aim of this bachleor´s thesis is to open this social theme which might sometimes be a taboo. This thesis is focusing on several aims. The main goal is to raise public awareness of people with disabilities and point out that mothers of disabled children are extraordinarily strong personalities. They do not have an easy life, nevertheless they do not want to feel pitied, to see sympathetic glances of the others, or to be laughed at. Another aim is to find out what the lifestyle of mothers of disabled children is like, how it is changed and to identify possible threats of social isolation. With regard to social isolation, I would like to discuss the possible impact of place of residence on the lifestyle of the mothers. The theoretical part of my thesis focuses on the family, disability and mainly on the role of the disabled child's mother. Here are also mentioned other important themes like social isolation, burnout syndrome, social support and aid which are closely related to this topic. The empirical part of my thesis deals with the research itself, summary and presentation of gained pieces of information. Last but not least this part focuses on giving answers to research questions. The research was conducted as a qualitative investigation on a principle of the grounded theory technique with the support of three-stage coding and setting of grounded statements. The data were processed in the software programme ATLAS.ti where the graphical outputs were also made. These put the final touches to each category of the empirical part of my thesis. Based on the analysis and interpretation of the gained data I have come to a conclusion that the lifestyle of mothers has changed a lot in many areas after the birth of a disabled child. For example in the area of family and working life, or in the personal area we can see the change of personality and the scale of values which are the most frequent reactions to the disability of a child. It was also found out that the main influence of the place of residence on a lifestyle is in the access to services. Living in the countryside or in a small town is usually very limiting for the mother of a disabled child, mainly in terms of accessibility of services and transportation. Nevertheless, these changes and facts in most cases do not lead to a negative perception of life with a disabled child. The research has proved that mothers of disabled children live different, but not poor-quality lives. This thesis could be beneficial for further public education to raise awareness of the fact that mothers of children with disabilities are incredibly strong people. In spite of the difficulties they often perceive their lives as "normal" and common. The thesis could be also beneficial for mothers who have just delivered a disabled child and they have to cope with the situation. The empirical part of this thesis could be used to support the possibility of living a high-quality life despite the disability of the child.
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