Living with Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis: Parent and Physician Perspectives

Being a parent of a child with Down's arthritis: an interpretative phenomenological analysis

PURPOSE

To explore the parental impact and experiences of caring for a child with Down's arthritis (DA), an aggressive, erosive form of arthritis affecting children with Down syndrome.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Ten mothers of children with DA were interviewed via telephone. Interviews were guided using a semi-structured non-directive topic guide and ranged from 17 to 242 minutes in duration. Interpretative phenomenological analysis was the method of analysis.

RESULTS

Three superordinate themes were identified: "Struggle for Help," "Mothers Know Best," and "Daily Impacts." Common challenges included issues around child pain, communication, and challenges in accessing diagnoses and relevant healthcare services. Parents portrayed a reality characterised by ongoing struggles, particularly parents of nonverbal children and those living further from paediatric rheumatology services. Connecting with other parents of children with DA provided a vital source of emotional and informational support.

CONCLUSIONS

Findings provide novel insight into the experience of being mother of a child with DA, highlighting regional healthcare disparities, the need for upskilling of healthcare professionals, and for increased public awareness. Further research is needed to better understand the impact of DA on fathers and siblings. Findings can contribute to development and provision of supports to children with DA and their families.Implications for RehabilitationHealthcare professionals need to be upskilled in the treatment of, and communication with, children with Down syndrome with chronic illnesses and their families.A specialised stream of care for children with Down's arthritis (DA) within paediatric rheumatology services may facilitate timely diagnosis and treatment and minimise risk of future complications.Formalised support services for children with DA and their families are needed to minimise emotional distress.

Factors associated with care- and health-related quality of life of caregivers of children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis

OBJECTIVE

This study investigates the relationship of child, caregiver, and caring context measurements with the care-related quality of life (CRQoL) and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of caregivers of children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA).

METHODS

We performed a cross-sectional analysis of baseline data on caregivers of children with JIA from Canada and the Netherlands collected for the "Canada-Netherlands Personalized Medicine Network in Childhood Arthritis and Rheumatic Diseases" study from June 2019 to September 2021. We used the CRQoL questionnaire (CarerQoL), adult EQ-5D-5L, and proxy-reported Youth 5-Level version of EuroQoL (EQ-5D-5L-Y) to assess caregiver CRQoL, caregiver HRQoL, and child HRQoL, respectively. We used a multivariate analysis to assess the relationship between both caregiver CRQoL and HRQoL and patient, caregiver, and caring context measurements.

RESULTS

A total of 250 caregivers were included in this study. Most of the caregivers were from the Netherlands (n = 178, 71%) and 77% were females (n = 193). The mean CarerQoL scores was 82.7 (standard deviation (SD) 11.4) and the mean EQ-5D-5L utility score was 0.87 (SD 0.16). Child HRQoL and employment had a positive relationship with both caregiver CarerQoL and EQ-5D-5L utility scores (p < 0.05), while receiving paid or unpaid help had a negative relationship with both scores (p < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

Our findings indicated that to understand the impact of JIA on families, we need to consider socio-economic factors, such as employment and support to carry caregiving tasks, in addition to child HRQoL.

Experiences of living with Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis: a qualitative systematic review

OBJECTIVE

The objective of this review was to investigate the available qualitative evidence to enhance understanding of the experiences of children, young adults, and their carers living with Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis in any setting.

INTRODUCTION

Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis is the most common chronic rheumatic disease in childhood. Despite the availability of effective treatments, persistent pain, growth retardation, physical disability, and psychological problems can occur. This may reduce the quality of life for Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis patients by negatively affecting their family, educational, and social well-being. Patient-centered management and care for Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis patients requires increasing attention to their self-reported quality of life and experiences, in addition to clinically measured disease activity. Furthermore, taking care of children with Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis may have negative impacts on the lives of their carers and families. The experiences of carers have been poorly understood and studied. This review describes experiences and perspectives from patients and carers in order to inform the needs of families throughout their Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis journey.

INCLUSION CRITERIA

Studies describing the experiences of patients aged <21 years who have been diagnosed with Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis according to the International League of Associations for Rheumatology criteria, as well as the experiences of their carers, have been considered.

METHODS

A comprehensive search using PubMed, CINAHL, Embase, PsycINFO, Web of Science, and Google Scholar, as well as relevant conference proceedings of the American College of Rheumatology (ACR; 2018-2019), the European Pediatric Rheumatology Congress (PReS) 2018, the European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR; 2018-2019), and the Asia Pacific League of Associations for Rheumatology (APLAR; 2018-2019), was undertaken in December 2020 to identify pertinent published and unpublished studies. Studies published in English from 2001 to 2020 were included. The JBI approach to study selection, critical appraisal, data extraction, and data synthesis was used.

RESULTS

Ten studies were included in this review. A total of 61 findings were extracted and aggregated to form 12 categories. From the 12 categories, five synthesized findings were developed: i) Self-management of Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis requires pain management, medication management, and the acquisition of knowledge and professional support; ii) A promising relationship with health care professionals but unbalanced access to services; iii) Parental financial burden and their adjustment to maintain family happiness; iv) Patients and parents support the web-based approach to communicate and develop self-management skills and acknowledge the importance of clinical trials; v) Desire to live a normal life without prejudice from school, social settings, and the workplace.

CONCLUSIONS

This review has provided a comprehensive overview of experiences and perceptions of Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis patients and their parents. It is important to understand what they need to know and understand about the disease. This review also highlights the importance of appropriate web-based programs, career counseling, infrastructures, and school facilities. Findings in this review can guide future policy and practice in order to improve care for families and children with Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis. Further research is required to develop management strategies for medication intolerance and evaluate the longitudinal benefits of relevant Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis programs.

SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION NUMBER

PROSPERO (CRD42019133165).

Experiences of living with juvenile idiopathic arthritis: a qualitative systematic review protocol

OBJECTIVE

The objective of this review is to identify, critically appraise and synthesize the available qualitative evidence to understand the experiences of children, young adults and their carers living with juvenile idiopathic arthritis in any setting.

INTRODUCTION

Juvenile idiopathic arthritis is the most common rheumatic disease in childhood. Despite the availability of effective treatments, the disease still has negative impacts on patients' and carers' lives. Patients' and carers' experiences of living with juvenile idiopathic arthritis have been recognized as important in the measurement of health status and treatment implementation. Addressing these needs will facilitate more effective management and treatment of the disease. This protocol describes a method for a systematic review regarding the perspectives from patients and carers in order to highlight the needs of families throughout their juvenile idiopathic arthritis journey.

INCLUSION CRITERIA

Studies on the experiences of patients aged <21 years who have been diagnosed with juvenile idiopathic arthritis according to the International League of Associations for Rheumatology criteria, as well as the experiences of their carers, will be considered. Papers included in this review will include, but not be limited to, designs such as phenomenology, grounded theory and ethnography.

METHODS

A comprehensive search using PubMed, CINAHL, Embase, PsycINFO and Web of Science was undertaken in August 2019. Available studies published in English from 2001 to 2019 will be included. The recommended JBI method for study selection, critical appraisal, data extraction and data synthesis will be used.

SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION NUMBER

PROSPERO (CRD42019133165).