2026 Volume 46 Pages 74-83
Purpose: To examine how parents of children with developmental disabilities connect their past experiences with current parenting through narrative analysis.
Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with parents of elementary to middle school children with developmental disabilities.
Results: Parents of children with developmental disabilities linked their past experiences with current parenting through the following themes: “views on parenting and ways of interacting with children shaped by their own experiences with their parents,” “imagining their child’s position in relation to their own childhood experiences,” “conflicts regarding parenting based on work experience,” “parenting methods and attitudes shaped by experiences of working with children alongside their spouse,” and “the influence of experiences at a support organization on parenting.” The narratives in which past experiences were connected to current parenting showed a structure that facilitated progression from an overview to the development of actions, evaluation, and conclusions.
Conclusion: In the future, it will be necessary to develop support that considers the connections between the past and present of parents raising children with developmental disabilities and explore how narrative approaches can be incorporated into such support.
