The Role of Uncertainty in Coping: The Experience of Parents of Children With Undiagnosed Medical Conditions

The proposed study aims to test the effect of the degree of perceived uncertainty on coping efficacy among parents of children with undiagnosed medical conditions. There are many dimensions to uncertainty when there is no identified cause for a condition that affects one s child. They include illness identity, management, longevity and life planning, the meaning of the child s condition for the family and both the child s and the family s social connections. How parents of children with undiagnosed medical conditions appraise, cope and ultimately adapt to their child s condition in light of this uncertainty is largely unexplored. While high levels of perceived uncertainty may be seen as a threat to adaptation, there is evidence that parents find hope and opportunity in the uncertainty. The literature suggests that many factors affect how uncertainty is appraised, and higher levels of coping self-efficacy are associated with more effective coping and ultimately better adaptation. There is no research that systematically assesses the dimensions of uncertainty perceived by parents and whether overall perceptions of uncertainty or particular subsets are associated with coping efficacy. Further, personality traits, such as tolerance of uncertainty and resilience, may moderate these unexplored relationships. This study s conceptual framework is based on Lazarus and Folkman s Transactional Model of Stress and Coping and Mishel s Perceived Uncertainty in Illness Theory. A cross-sectional survey design will be used to quantitatively assess the relationships between dimensions of uncertainty and coping efficacy. Participants will be recruited through online support groups, website postings, and listservs. They will have the option of completing either a paper or online version of the survey.