Health visitors' experiences talking about difficulties with the parent–infant relationship

Journal article

Kouvaras, Stef, Hassett, Alex and Lumsden, Virginia 2022. Health visitors' experiences talking about difficulties with the parent–infant relationship. Journal of Health Visiting. 10 (7), pp. 292-302. https://doi.org/10.12968/johv.2022.10.7.292
AuthorsKouvaras, Stef, Hassett, Alex and Lumsden, Virginia
AbstractParent–infant relationships are important for healthy child development and health visitors are in a prime position to highlight any difficulties. Limited research exists into health visitors' experiences of talking about these difficulties; therefore, this study aimed to shed further light on the subject. Semi-structured interviews were carried out with 10 qualified health visitors working with parents and infants aged 0–4. Five themes emerged from the data: the felt experience – connection to the personal; the impact of containing and carrying the burden; how to name the elephant in the room; coping mechanisms; and some things help, some things hinder. Findings highlighted the emotional burden on participants leading to avoidance of having conversations. In conclusion, there is a need for reflective spaces and consultations, as well as future research to include exploring difficulties with fathers.
KeywordsHealth visitors; Parent-child relationships; Child development; Interpretative phenomenological analysis; Infant mental health
Year2022
JournalJournal of Health Visiting
Journal citation10 (7), pp. 292-302
PublisherMark Allen Group
ISSN2050-8719
2052-2908
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)https://doi.org/10.12968/johv.2022.10.7.292
Official URLhttps://www.magonlinelibrary.com/doi/abs/10.12968/johv.2022.10.7.292
Publication dates
Online02 Jul 2022
Print02 Jul 2022
Publication process dates
Deposited03 Aug 2022
Output statusPublished
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https://repository.canterbury.ac.uk/item/91z10/health-visitors-experiences-talking-about-difficulties-with-the-parent-infant-relationship

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