Illness Representations in Families with a Chronically Ill Adolescent

Differences between Family Members and Impact on Patients’ Outcome Variables

Bibliographic Data

ID7844296
AuthorsChristel Salewski (0000-0002-5406-3168, Universität Greifswald)
Year2003
Volume8
Issue5
Pages587-598
Publication date2003-09-01
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Health Psychology (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1359-1053 • E-ISSN: 1461-7277
PublisherSAGE Publications (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1177/13591053030085009
PMID19177719
OpenAlexW2027449118
LanguageEN
Citations received1
References cited45

The impact of parents’ illness representations on well-being and illness-related strain of adolescents suffering from a chronic skin disease was examined. Because family characteristics have proved to be important for coping, adolescents’ perceived family cohesion was also assessed. Five categories of illness representations (causes, control, timeline, curability, and effective treatments) were assessed from 30 adolescents and their parents. Comparisons revealed differences between family members’ illness representations. Perceived family cohesion was a good predictor of adolescents’ wellbeing and strain, whereas parents’ illness representations had only little impact. In families with high similarity between the parents’ illness representations, the adolescents reported more well-being. Results are discussed with regard to developmental characteristics of adolescence, nature of outcome variables and methodological problems

Coping (psychology · Developmental psychology · Disease · Illness behavior · Psychiatry · Timeline · Childhood Cancer Survivors' Quality of Life · Family and Patient Care in Intensive Care Units · Medicine · Optimism, Hope, and Well-being · Psychology · Clinical Psychology

Tools

Open DOISci-Hub