Within the care settings of families of children with chronic diseases, there are challenges nursing teams have to face within the scope of fostering hope with the context of family assessment and intervention. The genogram and the ecomap have become vehicles for a deeper understanding of attachments and family interaction patterns. We propose the utilization of genograms and ecomaps in identifying resources for hope for mothers of children with chronic diseases. This is a qualitative study which identified factors that influence hope in mutual help groups. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews with twenty mothers, carried out from July of 2009 to June of 2010. The results permit the identification of patterns of interaction with hope, the personal attributes of its members, spiritual bases, and moralizing memories, enabling reflexion on the family network as a network of strength, resilience, and empowerment.
Family; Disabled children; Trust; Qualitative research
