Zwiers, MichaelStone, Jezzamyn2017-10-032017-10-0320172017Stone, J. (2017). Together and Safe: Mothers' Experiences with Communicating to their Children About Wildfires Before, During, and After Evacuation (Master's thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca. doi:10.11575/PRISM/28461http://hdl.handle.net/11023/4194The 2016 Horse River wildfire in Northern Alberta devastated the community of Fort McMurray and surrounding areas, forcing residents to evacuate from their homes with little notice. Parents’ approach and style of communicating to their children about this event is critical in supporting family adaptability, resiliency, and children’s competence in making sense and meaning from their experience. Using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis, the researchers sought to understand how parents make sense of their communication strategies to their children surrounding the 2016 Fort McMurray wildfire evacuation. Parents’ patterns of supporting their children were identified in the interviews of six Fort McMurray residents regarding their evacuation experiences. Results indicated three overarching themes of parents’ approaches to support: constructing realities, shaping values, and fostering independent construction. Understanding how parents effectively navigate natural disaster evacuations will assist professionals in meeting families’ needs in disasters and times of stress.engUniversity of Calgary graduate students retain copyright ownership and moral rights for their thesis. You may use this material in any way that is permitted by the Copyright Act or through licensing that has been assigned to the document. For uses that are not allowable under copyright legislation or licensing, you are required to seek permission.Educational PsychologyEducation--Guidance and CounselingEducation--Language and LiteratureCanadian StudiesIndividual and Family StudiesEnvironmental SciencesMental HealthPsychology--DevelopmentalPsychology--SocialNatural DisasterWildfireEvacuationPost-disaster recoveryCopingMeaning makingSense makingcommunicationParentParent-childMotherMiddle ChildhoodInterpretative Phenomenological AnalysisQualitative researchFort McMurrayAlbertamaster thesis10.11575/PRISM/28461