Parental resolution of the child’s diagnosis and the parent-child relationship: Insights from the Reaction to Diagnosis Interview

David Oppenheim and colleagues discuss the emotional processes parents go through after they receive a significant developmental diagnosis for their child, and the powerful impact these processes can have for children's development. Using an attachment framework regarding loss and its resolution, the chapter discusses why lack of acceptance and resolution of the child's diagnosis may have adverse implications for the parent-child relationship. Examples from the Reaction to Diagnosis Interview illustrate the expression of resolution in parental interviews, with an emphasis on how both resolution and lack of resolution can be expressed in multiple ways. The chapter also reviews research findings regarding resolution and discusses their implications for clinical work with parents of children who have received a developmental diagnosis