Table 2.

The summary of sub-themes and themes

Sub-themes	Themes
Perplexity on the vague path of care	Lost and confused about care and treatment
Lost hope
Endless hardship and adversity in caregiving	Trapped in endless cycle of hardship caring
Profound sorrow over perceiving the child’s distress and frustration
Selective social withdrawal	Inevitable self-isolation
Imprisoned by caring for the child
Family on the verge of instability and collapse	Bitter and deteriorating family life
Living in the shadow of constant unhappiness and despair