A mother of a 5-year-old child, with complex health care needs and cared for at home, expresses anxiety about attending a kindergarten graduation exercise of a neighbor's child. The mother says, "I wish it could be my child graduating from kindergarten." What should the nurse recognize the mother is experiencing?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Home care nurses should be aware that parents may experience chronic sorrow as a parental stressor. Chronic sorrow as a normal grief response is associated with a living loss (the loss of a healthy child) that is cyclical in nature. This is a normal response and does not indicate abnormal anxiety, ineffective coping, or denial.

A Mother of a 5-Year-Old Child, with Complex Health Care