This is beautifully done. I can see that the process really helped you to get the thoughts you have had about this study down onto paper, and that doing that really helped you to check assumptions and dig deeper (e.g. realizing that you had one vocal participant about the parent/child QOL. The piece about separation over time seems very relevant - it mimics what happens for all children - that your child's QOL becomes separate from yours, and the hearing is part of that for children with hearing impairment. I really like the idea of how the parent stress might impact the child's QOL - very interesting. You are heading in exactly the right direction as far as your coding - hope it feels like that!