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 language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 521-533 |
| Number of pages | 13 |
| Journal | Journal of Health Psychology |
| Volume | 27 |
| Issue number | 3 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Mar 2022 |
Bibliographical note
Publisher Copyright:© The Author(s) 2020.
Funding
The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: RLW was supported by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (Grant#: CIHR MOP – 89895) for this study. RLW is supported by a Tier 1 Canadian Research Chair (CRC) in Child and Family Engagement in Health Research and Healthcare (Project #: 950-231845), Canadian Institutes of Health Research. The funding sources had no role in the conduct of the study, analysis of data, or decision for publication.
| Funders | Funder number |
|---|---|
| Canadian Institutes of Health Research | MOP – 89895, 950-231845 |
Keywords
- Canada
- chronic illness
- disclosure
- grounded theory
- non-categorical approach
- youth
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Applied Psychology