We live together in society that is composed of individuals who have normal development and individuals who have some developmental delays or disabilities. Therefore, it is important to know and understand what disability is and how it affects the lives of the family members individually also a mother and family as whole. O&#039 / Connor (2002) indicates that being a parent of a child who has a developmental delay is a challenge for the parents. This qualitative, mother-focused study examines the experiences of a mother who is rearing multi-disabled children consisting of mental disabilities, a hearing impairment and physical disabilities / and the effects of having more than one child with multi-disability on mother&rsquo / s psychological well-being. Another objective of the study is to explore how a mother copes with this issue in a family setting and the kind of coping strategies the mother uses to manage the difficulties. Case study design was conducted with the mother of multi-disabled children. Qualitative in-depth interviews are conducted with the mother, and information was gathered in the areas of daily stress, coping, family reactions and well-being. Family Systems Theory provides the theoretical framework of the study. The experience, reaction and communication of the mother with both her disabled children and other family members are examined with the light of the family systems theory in order to understand the interrelation among the family members.

Hensikten var og få kunnskap om hvordan foreldre til barn med Downs syndrom, multifunksjonshemming og autisme opplevde møte med og oppfølgingen fra helse- og sosialkontorene og helsestasjonene. Hvordan opplevde foreldre den innsats de selv måtte gjøre for å få de rettigheter de hadde krav på og opplevelse av om foreldre fikk den hjelp som var barnets behov. Studien ble utført i en middels stor by i Vest Norge. Metode: I studien ble metoden Grounded theory anvendt. Det ble gjort en kvalitativ intervjuundersøkelse med 14 foreldre. Intervjuformen var semistrukturell. Informasjon om undersøkelsen ble sendt ut via kontaktpersoner fra helsestasjoner og helse- og sosialkontor i kommunen. Intervjuene ble foretatt hjemme hos foreldrene eller på en helsestasjon i kommunen. Resultater: Funn viste at mange foreldreopplevelser innebar hvordan fagfolk påvirket deres mestringsevne, omsorg, oppfølging, stell og pleie, positivt og negativt alt etter hvordan fagfolk involverte seg i arbeidet med å yte hjelp eller ikke til familiene. Studiens kjernekategori ble Foreldrekraft. Det framkom fem hovedkategorier: Barnets hjelpeløshet, Foreldres resurser og mestringsevne, Fagfolks involvering, Politisk styring og Nettverk. Positiv hjelp og holding fra fagpersoner støttet og hjalp foreldrene, mens negative holdninger og/eller manglende handlinger svekket foreldrekraften. Politisk styring hadde innvirkning på hvordan fagfolk handlet. Venner og nettverk var og faktorer som påvirket foreldrekraften til en viss gad. Konklusjon: Fagfolk ved helse- og sosialkontorer og helsestasjoner innvirker positivt og negativ på foreldrekraften. Foreldre opplevde at de måtte lete etter svar, kjempe for sine rettigheter og be om hjelp. Foreldrekraften var det kontinuerlige i arbeidet med barna. Funn ved studien viste at det kan være behov for kompetansehevingsplaner for fagpersonell i arbeidet med disse barna og deres familier. Dessuten få til gode ordninger for brukermedvirkning / The Purpose of the study was to gain knowledgeabout how parents with children that have Downs syndrome, are multi disabled and with autism experience the health care centres and the social services. How did the parents experience the effort they had to do to claim their rights and to make sure that their child received the care she/he was entitled on. The study took place in a middle sized city located in the west of Norway Method: In the study Grounded theory was applied as the main research method. A qualitative interview method has been used where 14 parents were interviewed. The interview guide was semistructured. Information about the research was done through contact persons from the healthcare centers or the social service office. The interviews took place either at the parent’s home or at the health care centres. The results: The findings showed that many parents experienced that the health and social professionals influenced the parent’s ability, care,and nursing, positive or negative depending on how involved in their work the health professional was. The core category of the study became The power of parents. This emerged from the five main categories: The helplessness of the child, The resources and abilities of the parents, The level of involvement from the professionals, The political actions and Network. Positive support and attitude from health and social professionals have supportive and helping affect on the parents, while negative attitude and lack of involvement weaken The power of parents. Political actions had influence on how the professionals acted. The parents’ network was also a component that influenced the level of the power of parents. Conclusion: Professionals working at the health care centres or at the social services affect the power of parents positive or negative. The parents experienced that they had to search for answers, fight for their rights and ask for help. The power of the parents were the continuously in the work with the children. The findings in the study show a need for increased competence among the professionals in their work with these children and their families. In addition, collaborate with the parents about new resolutions / <p>ISBN 978-91-85721-06-1</p>

Text in Afrikaans / This pastoral-narrative study pans the stories of multi disabled children's parents for story elements and account resources that lead to the development of alternative realities on the dominant reality of "disability". With a postmodern epistemology and postmodern theological background this study was performed with a qualitative narrative research approach. In this study the stories of eight multi "disabled children's parents are utilized. Story elements and account resources from social structures and existence are highlighted and discussed. Examples of this are family, circle of friends, hope and parental love. The account of this study underlines the value that alternative realities on the dominant reality of "disability" can add to the quality on how people experience life. It also services as prove of people's riches of inner power and resilience. / Practical Theology / M.Th.

Text in Afrikaans / This pastoral-narrative study pans the stories of multi disabled children's parents for story elements and account resources that lead to the development of alternative realities on the dominant reality of "disability". With a postmodern epistemology and postmodern theological background this study was performed with a qualitative narrative research approach. In this study the stories of eight multi "disabled children's parents are utilized. Story elements and account resources from social structures and existence are highlighted and discussed. Examples of this are family, circle of friends, hope and parental love. The account of this study underlines the value that alternative realities on the dominant reality of "disability" can add to the quality on how people experience life. It also services as prove of people's riches of inner power and resilience. / Philosophy, Practical and Systematic Theology / M.Th.