Step 7: All data material that belongs to each category was put in one place, and the researcher conducted a preliminary analysis
4.2 THEMES AND SUB-THEMES
4.3.7 THEME 7: MOTHERS' RECOMMENDATIONS FOR PARTNERS' SUPPORT WITH A CHILD WITH A SEVERE INTELLECTUAL DISABILITY
The findings of the study indicates that mothers of children with SID they recommend health professionals to assist them together with their partners to
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accept their children’s condition. Mothers' recommendations for partners' support with a child with a severe intellectual disability have two sub-themes namely: Recommendations for informational support and Recommendations for coping strategies
4.3.7.1 Sub-theme 7.1: Recommendations for informational support
The findings of the study indicate that mothers of children with SID seek assistance from health care workers to give them and their partner’s with health education concerning their children’s condition. This is supported by the findings of the study whereby mothers of children with SID says nurses and psychologist must give them and their partner’s health education and counselling concerning their children’s condition.
It is evident from the following quotation:
A 51 year old mother of 08 year old girl suggested that health care workers especially nurses to do home visits to educate them together with their partners about their children’s condition (specially to educate their partners) so that they can have knowledge regarding their children’s condition. As evidenced by: “The key is for nurses to talk with those men to assist their partners by giving them health education. I am lucky because I get support from my partner and we treat our child like a normal child. Again, if possible, you nurses can do home visits like yourself and educate men about the condition of the child and on how to assist their partners with those children because other women are the ones who are faced with the care of their children alone” P1.
Other participants also suggested similar recommendation “I think if my partner can get health education about the child‘s condition from nurses and Doctors, I think it will assist him, my brother I mean a proper health education I think he can understand the child’s condition P3.
Workshops and awareness regarding SID were also recommended by other participants “Ohhh… because I realised that many people lack knowledge about disability conditions so workshops are needed concerning the conditions where parents who have this kind of children may come together and share their
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knowledge and experiences. For our partners, men need people like you nurses to do a home visit and educate our partners about this condition” P6
P7: I think the way he is acting; he lacks knowledge maybe if he could get health education regarding mental retardation and other mental conditions from a nurse maybe he could be able to understand and be able to provide the support.
P8: They must go and speak to the psychologist he will help because he helped me and my partner and through the psychologist, he accepted the child. A Psychologist in his education told my partner to tolerate the child and he had him very well
P10: I think we must attend clinic appointments with our partners so that nurses can give us health education together concerning our children’s condition so that our partners can here and learner.
P11: I think as women we must voice out our problems so that we can get medical help from a psychologist, which will benefit our children. I think if we can get workshops and imbizo whereby people give us health talk about this mental condition of our children together with our partners.
4.3.7.2 Sb-theme 7.2: Recommendations for coping strategies
The study's findings indicated that mothers of children with SID recommend that if their partners can get employment this can help them in the care of their children with SID. Most mothers of children with SID recommended that they and their partners assist each other in the care of their children with SID as this will make their families happy. It was further recommended that as partners, and parents to this child with SID, they must assist each other in the care of their child.
It is evident from the following quotation:
P1: If partners assist each other in the care of their child they will be happy in the family because you can see our children are helpless and heart-breaking, so they need our love and to accept them from both of us.
P3: In my opinion, if we can have a family meeting and talk about that issue and maybe we can get support from my partner, I think it can help us me and my child.
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P4: If my partner can get a job even if he can get a piece job that one can help him and us because he can be able to provide for us for example, he can buy a cake for her child during her birthday and able to take care of her child like other fathers because if he is working month end, he will be paid.
P5: Those that are not supported must involve their partners and try to make them understand their child‘s condition. As women, we are the ones who are attached to our children, and we spend most of our time with them if we discover something in involving our partner so that he can learn and develop an interest in the care of the child