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
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.