The art of balancing: Exploring the emotional experience of parents considering a transition to residential care for their child with severe disabilities

Caring for children with severe to profound intellectual disabilities (SPID) can be an overwhelming burden for parents, leading them to consider outsourcing some of the care to residential care facilities. However, this decision is complex and emotionally challenging for both the parents and the child. This Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis study aimed to explore the emotional experiences of parents when making the decision to outsource care for their children with SPID to residential care facilities. In-depth interviews were conducted with seven mothers of children aged between 8 and 18 who were actively considering a transition to residential care. The study revealed that this decision is a complex and ambiguous process, accompanied by layers of insecurities and fields of tension, against a backdrop of high care burden and (fragile) resilience. It requires parents to balance their child's and their own needs, rational and emotional arguments, and complex emotions, with the ultimate goal of finding a sustainable care solution in the long term while still fulfilling their role as attachment figures. The findings of this study are critical in supporting families who are facing such an important and emotional transition in their lives.