Journals / Anatolian Journal of Health Research / 2026 / Cilt: 7 Sayı: 2

Diagnostic disclosure to parents of children with developmental disabilities: Experiences and communication preferences

Gelişimsel yetersizliği olan çocukların ebeveynlerine tanının açıklanması: Deneyimler ve iletişim tercihleri

Zeynal Yasacı(İNÖNÜ ÜNİVERSİTESİ)0000-0001-9496-8095
İpek Yeldan(İSTANBUL ÜNİVERSİTESİ-CERRAHPAŞA)0000-0002-6344-4157
Pages
82–88
Publication Date
2026-08-30
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AI Summary & Key Takeaways

AI Insight
⚡ TL;DR(Too Long; Didn't Read)

The findings indicate areas requiring attention, particularly privacy, information provision, and emotional sensitivity.

📌 3 Key Takeaways

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Objective & Hypothesis:Aim: Communication during developmental disability diagnosis disclosure may influence parents’ emotional responses, understanding, and engagement with care.
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Key Findings & Data:Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional web-based survey was conducted between July and November 2020 with 95 parents of children diagnosed with developmental disabilities.
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Conclusion & Impact:The findings indicate areas requiring attention, particularly privacy, information provision, and emotional sensitivity.
🔬Design:Survey & Empirical Study
📍Scope:2020 Verileri
⚙️Variables:gelişimsel bozukluklar · gelişimsel yetersizlik · iletişim

Abstract

Aim: Communication during developmental disability diagnosis disclosure may influence parents’ emotional responses, understanding, and engagement with care. This study investigated parents’ experiences and preferences regarding disclosure and their evaluations of the communication behaviors of the person who initially communicated the diagnosis. Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional web-based survey was conducted between July and November 2020 with 95 parents of children diagnosed with developmental disabilities. A semi-structured questionnaire assessed demographic characteristics, disclosure experiences and preferences, and perceived communication behaviors. Findings were summarized using descriptive statistics. Results: The most common diagnoses were Down syndrome (22.1%), cerebral palsy (17.9%), and intellectual disability/developmental delay (16.9%). Most parents reported physician-led disclosure (73.7%), whereas 93.7% preferred disclosure by a physician. More than half received the diagnosis in a crowded or shared room (52.6%), while 93.7% preferred a private room. In addition, 31.6% reported receiving inadequate information about their child’s medical condition and treatment, and 35.8% stated that the person who initially communicated the diagnosis did not adequately recognize their emotional distress. Conclusion: Group-level distributions of reported experiences and stated preferences differed descriptively across several aspects of disclosure. The findings indicate areas requiring attention, particularly privacy, information provision, and emotional sensitivity. Because individual-level concordance was not analyzed, these results should not be interpreted as demonstrating within-parent mismatch. Improving privacy, empathy, clarity of information, and post-diagnostic guidance may enhance parental satisfaction and support engagement with care.

Özet

Amaç: Gelişimsel tanıların bildirilmesi sırasında kurulan iletişim, ebeveynlerin duygusal tepkilerini, tanıyı anlamalarını ve bakıma katılımlarını etkileyebilir. Bu çalışma, ebeveynlerin tanı bildirimiyle ilgili deneyim ve tercihlerini ve tanıyı ilk açıklayan kişinin iletişim davranışlarına ilişkin değerlendirmelerini incelemeyi amaçlamıştır. Yöntem: Bu tanımlayıcı kesitsel web tabanlı anket çalışması, Temmuz-Kasım 2020 tarihleri arasında gelişimsel yetersizlik tanısı almış çocukların 95 ebeveyniyle yürütülmüştür. Demografik özellikler, tanı bildirimi deneyimleri ve tercihleri ile algılanan iletişim davranışları yarı yapılandırılmış bir anketle değerlendirilmiştir. Bulgular tanımlayıcı istatistiklerle özetlenmiştir. Bulgular: En sık görülen tanılar Down sendromu (%22.1), serebral palsi (%17.9) ve zihinsel yetersizlik/gelişimsel gecikme (%16.9) idi. Ebeveynlerin %73.7’si tanının bir hekim tarafından bildirildiğini, %93.7’si ise hekim tarafından bildirilmesini tercih ettiğini belirtmiştir. Ebeveynlerin %52.6’sı tanıyı kalabalık veya paylaşımlı bir odada alırken, %93.7’si özel bir oda tercih etmiştir. Ayrıca %31.6’sı çocuklarının tıbbi durumu ve tedavisi hakkında yetersiz bilgi aldığını, %35.8’i ise tanıyı ilk açıklayan kişinin duygusal sıkıntılarını yeterince fark etmediğini bildirmiştir. Sonuçlar: Bildirilen deneyim ve belirtilen tercihlere ait grup düzeyindeki dağılımlar, tanı bildiriminin çeşitli yönlerinde betimsel farklılıklar göstermiştir. Bulgular özellikle mahremiyet, bilgi sunumu ve duygusal duyarlılık açısından geliştirilmesi gereken alanlara işaret etmektedir. Bireysel düzeyde uyum analiz edilmediğinden, sonuçlar ebeveynlerin kendi deneyimleri ile tercihleri arasında bireysel uyumsuzluk bulunduğu şeklinde yorumlanmamalıdır. Mahremiyet, empati, bilginin açıklığı ve tanı sonrası yönlendirmenin geliştirilmesi ebeveyn memnuniyetini ve bakıma katılımı destekleyebilir.

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Cite This Article

Yasacı, Z., Yeldan, İ. (2026). Diagnostic disclosure to parents of children with developmental disabilities: Experiences and communication preferences. Anatolian Journal of Health Research, Cilt: 7 Sayı: 2, 82–88. https://doi.org/10.61534/anatoljhr.1851117

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