The centrality of disclosure decisions to the illness experience for youth with chronic conditions: A qualitative study

Roberta Lynn Woodgate, Pauline Tennent, Sarah Barriage, Nicole Legras

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

8 Scopus citations

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to illuminate findings of disclosure experiences for youth living with chronic illness using a non-categorical approach. The findings were derived from a larger qualitative study framed by social constructivist grounded theory that sought to understand youth’s involvement in healthcare decision-making in the context of chronic illness. Fifty-four youth participated in the study, ranging from 9 to 24 years. Three main themes representing the youth’s perspectives and experiences of disclosing chronic illness were identified: (1) disclosure is central to the illness experience; (2) spectrum of disclosure; and (3) navigating others’ reactions to disclosure. The findings reinforce that more emphasis on decisions related to disclosing illness in research and clinical care for youth with chronic conditions is warranted.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)521-533
Number of pages13
JournalJournal of Health Psychology
Volume27
Issue number3
DOIs
StatePublished - Mar 2022

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s) 2020.

Keywords

  • Canada
  • chronic illness
  • disclosure
  • grounded theory
  • non-categorical approach
  • youth

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Applied Psychology

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