Abstract
The objective of this research is to elucidate establishment process and structure of "cuddling" between nurses and children with severe cerebral palsy. Unstructured interviews and participant observation of "cuddling" were conducted with 7 nurses, having 5 to 18 years clinical experience of children with severe cerebral palsy, who were considered to represent a model case for the assessment of "cuddling" of one child with severe cerebral palsy. The qualitative analysis of the obtained data showed that [power of "cuddling" by a nurse] and [power of "cuddling" by a child] interacted with each other in [an environment affecting "cuddling"]. [Repetition of "cuddling"] resulted in [maturation of "cuddling"] through 'reduction of physical and emotional distance between the child and the nurse.' The nurses were using "cuddling" as a way of 'expressing that the child is valued as an individual.' The "cuddling" between a child with severe cerebral palsy and a nurse had a communication aspect, suggesting that it was manifesting the view of nursing.
