The Experience of Emotional Distress Among Women With Scleroderma

Bibliographic Data

ID4678652
AuthorsEvan G Newton (McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada), Brett D Thombs (0000-0002-5644-8432, Jewish General Hospital, Montreal, Quebec, Canada), Danielle Groleau (0000-0003-2421-9069, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada)
Year2012
Volume22
Issue9
Pages1195-1206
Publication date2012-09-01
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueQualitative Health Research (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1049-7323 • E-ISSN: 1552-7557
PublisherSAGE Publications Inc (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1177/1049732312449207
PMID22875832
OpenAlexW2163420902
LanguageEN
References cited33

Emotional distress is common among patients with chronic medical illnesses, but the nature of the distress is not well understood. Our objective was to understand patients' experiences of emotional distress by conducting in-depth interviews using the McGill Illness Narrative Interview with women affected by scleroderma ( N = 16). We sought to determine how participants described their distress, what they believed caused it, and how they coped. We analyzed interview transcripts using thematic analysis. Many participants described distress associated with scleroderma, but the term depression was reserved for extraordinary, severe experiences. Instead, participants preferred more normal mood descriptors and often viewed their distress in keeping with the definition of "demoralization." Participants listed concrete symptoms and experiences that caused distress, and some added that stress could exacerbate scleroderma. Participants dealt with distress by not dwelling on their circumstances and working to maintain autonomy. Most preferred to not rely on psychologists and support groups

Anxiety · Distress · Emotional distress · Psychiatry · Clinical Psychology · Medicine · Psychology · Systemic Sclerosis and Related Diseases

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