Bowel management toward continence has been identified as one of the most challenging self-care behaviors to transition for children and their families. Developmental transition periods from birth through high school are especially demanding for children with spina bifida and their caregivers. Furthermore, obtaining bowel continence, which includes bowel management, has been difficult for health-care providers in their efforts to support primary caregivers and their child in promoting independence. The effort becomes increasingly challenging when the child with spina bifida reaches the developmental milestone for achieving bowel-management care and, yet, has not obtained it. A qualitative study using grounded theory was performed to investigate the process of transitioning neurogenic-bowel-continence management from the primary caregiver to the child.
