Parental intuition: a phenomenological structure of intuitive knowing in the context of child illness and shared decision-making in healthcare
Purpose Parents describe knowing instinctively when there is something wrong with their child, but they experience challenges convincing healthcare professionals of these concerns, which could prohibit timely escalation of care. Our purpose was to develop a phenomenological description of parental i...
| Published in: | International Journal of Qualitative Studies on Health & Well-Being |
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| Main Authors: | , , , |
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Taylor & Francis Group
2025-12-01
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/17482631.2025.2491925 |
| Summary: | Purpose Parents describe knowing instinctively when there is something wrong with their child, but they experience challenges convincing healthcare professionals of these concerns, which could prohibit timely escalation of care. Our purpose was to develop a phenomenological description of parental intuition from parents’ lived experience. Methods We interviewed 12 parents remotely using a semi-structured schedule. Interviews were analysed using descriptive phenomenology. Results We developed a phenomenological description of parental intuition with essential elements including: parental intuition as pre-reflective and pre-linguistic, as corporeal, affective, instinctive, hysteria, and phronesis. Parental intuition was expressed as prior to consciousness and felt within the body. It manifests as heightened arousal and emotion. Parental intuition was defined as ever-present, yet questionable, potentially gendered, requiring validation. Finally, parental intuition was defined as practical wisdom built up over years of exposure to one’s child, enabling a reciprocal, unspoken and intimate bond. Conclusions Our work has demonstrated the significance of parental intuition in early detection of health deterioration. We discuss philosophical conceptualizations of knowledge and evidence relating to healthcare professionals’ resistance to accept parental intuition as a valid source of knowledge in healthcare. We argue that parental intuition demands integration into practice guidance on paediatric shared decision-making. |
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| ISSN: | 1748-2623 1748-2631 |