Abstract
A semi-structured interview was conducted with four fathers of children up to puberty with severe motor and intellectual disabilities in order to clarify thoughts, ideas, responses and behaviors as a father of such severely disabled child who has been hospitalized for a long term. The result led to seven categories of the fathers' thoughts, ideas, responses and behaviors in their relationship with the children; "struggle for the child's recovery," "critical situation in home care," "change in the idea towards the disabled," "desire for continuation of peaceful stay at the hospital," "searching of a father's role," "difficulty of balance between involvement in the child, and home and work" and "worries about the child's future." As conclusion, the fathers changed their way of treating the children through relation with medical personnel. It is necessary to provide a place like peer counseling where a father can speak out his thoughts and can meet parents in the same situation. Nursing support is also necessary for a father where he can share time with the child in order to prevent their relation from becoming weak due to the child's long-term hospitalization.
