事例報告：自閉症児Aの母親が障害児の母親であることに肯定的な意味を見出すまでの心の軌跡

Case report: The mental process of a mother accepting the reality of being a mother of an autistic child

要旨：障害児の親であることを受容した親の適応過程は有用な情報を提供する．今回，自閉症児の親であることを受け入れた母親から，その過程の生活物語(子が6歳に至るまで)を聴取し，育児によせる思いの変遷と変遷を促した要因を検討した．その結果，この母親の思いは不安，闘争，運命への順応，障害の理解と究明への欲求，最適環境の追求，自己肯定と変遷したことがわかった．これらはDrotarらが示した先天奇形児の親の心理適応と大筋は一致したが，この母親の独自性をも示すものであった．思いの変遷を促した要因の中で，日常的出来事，母親自身の内発的力は特徴的だと思われた．一個人の詳細を知ることの意義が示されたと考える．

　It is important for health care providers to help parents with disabled children to accept their realities of being parents of a disabled child. The process of parent's acceptance the reality offers us useful information in order to support other parents.

　We investigated the learning process of one mother with an autistic child who finally accepted the reality with a positive perspective, identifying the her mental process and the main factors which prompted the process. We used qualitative analysis of the mother's life story as research method.

　The mother's mental process was proved to be 'anxiety', 'struggle', 'adjusting her destiny', 'desire for comprehending and studying the disability', 'looking for the best educational circumstances', and 'contentment with herself. The distinctive factors which prompted the mental process were daily trifles and her spontaneous mental power.

　The process formed by her mental state and the factors that prompted the process was shown with both concrete and individual features. The results contributed toward giving shape to general opinions about the process.