Therapy From Adults Who Are Acutely Ill or Injured Family Management Styles Related to Withdrawal of Life-Sustaining

The purpose of this study is to define family management styles (FMSs) anddetermine distinctive characteristics of each FMS used by families partici-pating in the process of withdrawal of life-sustaining therapy from a familymember with an unexpected, life-threatening illness or injury. A total of56 family members of 19 families participated in interviews and observa-tions. Data were managed and analyzed maintaining a family focus, and eachfamily was first examined for within family patterns of management, thencompared to other families to identify differing patterns. A typology of fiveFMSs emerged: progressing, accommodating, maintaining, struggling, andfloundering. Within this typology, dimensions emerged describing the f amilies’varying definitions of the situations, management behaviors, and conse quences.FMSs were constructed through typifying how these dimensions differedacross families. Understanding FMSs can aid health care providers as familiesare assessed and interventions are planned.