Multiple Sclerosis and Parents

Chronic Sorrow

Chronic illness is a concept that was brought to the fore over 40 years ago by Olshansky. The term is used to describe the grief and sadness experience that parents of children with disabilities go through for a lifetime. The intensity of this experience varies from person to person, family member to family member and situation to situation. Olshansky chose to view the phenomenon as a normal and continuous response as opposed to a pathological condition. Experts were encouraged to note the occurrence of the condition when dealing with a parent or a caregiver of a child with disability. They are encouraged to provide support the expressions and feelings of such parents (Peterson & Bredow, 2013, pp. 96-97).

The occurrence of chronic sorrow syndrome was validated by initial research carried out in the 80s. Researchers such as Burke et al. pointed out that the continuous nature of losing the 'perfect' child, deterred resolving the situation of grief. In addition, it was pointed out that such inability to close the loss experience is the reason for the periodic grief experiences that such parents encountered.

Early studies sought to polish the definition of chronic sorrow and determined that it was a permanent pervasive, progressive and periodic sadness (Peterson & Bredow, 2013, p. 97).

The Significance of the problem

Depressed people commonly tend to stay in isolation avoid social encounters. Chronic sorrow and anxiety also exhibit similar effects. These reactions can become more detrimental to parents of children with disabilities because such parents lack vents through which they can channel their stresses. Lack of socializing opportunity impairs the social development of a child. Societal support can be of much help in supporting the children and their parents; which in turn enhances their coping ability. Mustering higher hope is associated with reducing chronic sorrow, depression and anxiety. Such a stance supports one's wellbeing because it provides one with the ability to seek alternate goals in life in the face of the current ones being blocked, looking at the light side of situations, reframing such situations, observing meaning in hard encounters and developing skills for problem solving (98).

One effective strategy to combat chronic sorrow is to design effective support programs that can assist families to live happily and hopefully. The focus in handling chronic sorrow should be to facilitate quality life for the caregivers (Monsson, 2010, pp. 94-99)

Seminal Literature Review

Recent research shows that chronic sorrow is commonly experienced by family caregivers with disabled children. The groups interviewed were drawn from the parents of children with a range of disabilities, spouses of people with chronic illness and parents and caregivers of children with severe conditions that affect their quality of life. NCRCS, a research organization established in 1989 sought to establish how chronic sorrow could be relevant among people experiencing a range of situations of loss (Peterson & Bredow, 2013, p. 97).

According to a study by Deborah Ayn Borkon (2008), Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder is the most common psychiatric disability among children. Since it is persistent and chronic, it negatively affects social, developmental and academic outcomes.

Further research indicates that maternal caregivers are more vulnerable to stress feelings, anxiety, discord in marriage and depression (2). The participants showed that maternal care givers experience chronic sorrow. Mothers were observed to show greater symptoms of chronic sorrow (Borkon, 2008, p. 64).

Isaksson increases our understanding of the experiences of patients living with Multiple Sclerosis with relation to the resultant chronic sorrow. The research showed that Multiple Sclerosis was distressing for patients. The seriousness of the symptoms ranged from mild to severe across those who never sought treatment with those hospitalized (Isaksson, 2007, p. 37)