Parent-Child Illness Narratives: A Dyadic Grounded Theory Analysis

Location

DeSantis Room 3031

Format Type

Plenary

Format Type

Paper

Start Date

16-1-2020 1:15 PM

End Date

16-1-2020 1:35 PM

Abstract

In pediatric chronic illness, little is known about the relational interactions between adolescent patients, parents, and illnesses and how they influence management of the illness. To address this, we elicited illness narratives (Kleinman, 2988) through face-to-face interviews with 32 individuals (16 dyads) representing adolescents diagnosed with a chronic illness and their primary parent who had been referred to a psychosocial treatment program for challenges with illness management. Interviews were conducted individually and analyzed dyadically using grounded theory to better understand the relational processes that may be contributing to illness management difficulties. Results include a theory of patient-parent illness responses and how parental illness meanings play a role in adolescent self-management. During our presentation, we will highlight the use of a dyadic analysis of individual interviews and share how this analytic method resulted in a more in-depth understanding of how illness narratives of pediatric patients and family members impact the illness experience. The presentation will identify common themes with special attention to the interconnected emotional processes at work in families. Increased understanding of illness narratives will provide insight into treatment factors that can facilitate or impede emotional healing of patients and family members as they grapple with the far-reaching effects of pediatric illness.

Keywords

grounded theory, dyadic analysis, illness narratives, pediatric illness

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Jan 16th, 1:15 PM Jan 16th, 1:35 PM

Parent-Child Illness Narratives: A Dyadic Grounded Theory Analysis

DeSantis Room 3031

In pediatric chronic illness, little is known about the relational interactions between adolescent patients, parents, and illnesses and how they influence management of the illness. To address this, we elicited illness narratives (Kleinman, 2988) through face-to-face interviews with 32 individuals (16 dyads) representing adolescents diagnosed with a chronic illness and their primary parent who had been referred to a psychosocial treatment program for challenges with illness management. Interviews were conducted individually and analyzed dyadically using grounded theory to better understand the relational processes that may be contributing to illness management difficulties. Results include a theory of patient-parent illness responses and how parental illness meanings play a role in adolescent self-management. During our presentation, we will highlight the use of a dyadic analysis of individual interviews and share how this analytic method resulted in a more in-depth understanding of how illness narratives of pediatric patients and family members impact the illness experience. The presentation will identify common themes with special attention to the interconnected emotional processes at work in families. Increased understanding of illness narratives will provide insight into treatment factors that can facilitate or impede emotional healing of patients and family members as they grapple with the far-reaching effects of pediatric illness.