Journeys of adjustment: the experiences of adolescents living with juvenile idiopathic arthritis

Looking on the bright side: The relationships between flourishing and pain-related outcomes among adolescents living with chronic pain

A deficits-based approach to adolescent chronic pain currently dominates the literature, to the exclusion of positive approaches, such as flourishing. Addressing this knowledge gap, this study examined the relationships between flourishing and pain-related outcomes in adolescent chronic pain. Seventy-nine adolescents aged 11-24 years were asked to complete self-report measures of three domains of flourishing and four pain-related outcomes. Correlation coefficients and four hierarchical linear regression analyses were conducted, controlling for age and gender. Flourishing mental health was associated with, and significantly contributed to explaining, anxiety and depressive symptoms, and social and family functioning impairment. Benefit finding and posttraumatic growth were each associated with social and family functioning impairment, while posttraumatic growth was also associated with anxiety and depressive symptoms. Additionally, benefit finding significantly contributed to explaining pain intensity. Study findings underscore the importance of assessing the relationships between flourishing and pain-related outcomes in adolescents with chronic pain.

Understanding how children and young people with chronic non-cancer pain and their families experience living with pain, pain management and services: a meta-ethnography

Background

Childhood chronic pain is a widespread public health issue. We need to understand how children with chronic pain and their families experience chronic pain and its management.

Objectives

To conduct a meta-ethnography on the experiences and perceptions of children with chronic pain and their families of chronic pain, treatments and services. We investigated how children and their families conceptualise and live with chronic pain; what they think of and want from health and social care services; and what they conceptualise as 'good' pain management.

Design

Meta-ethnography with stakeholder and patient and public involvement in the design, search and sampling strategies, analysis and dissemination. Review strategy: comprehensive searches of 12 bibliographic databases and supplementary searches in September 2022, to identify qualitative studies with children aged 3 months to 18 years with chronic non-cancer pain and their families. We included studies with rich explanatory data; appraised methodological limitations using the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme tool; and extracted, analysed and synthesised studies' findings. We used Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation-confidence in the evidence from reviews of qualitative research to assess confidence in review findings. We integrated findings with 14 Cochrane treatment effectiveness reviews on children's chronic non-cancer pain.

Results

We synthesised 43 studies sampled from 170 eligible studies reported in 182 publications. Studies had minor (n = 24) or moderate (n = 19) methodological limitations. Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation-confidence in the evidence from reviews of qualitative research assessments of review findings were high (n = 22), moderate (n = 13) or very low confidence (n = 1). Moderate and severe chronic pain had profound adverse impacts on family members' well-being, autonomy and self-identity; family dynamics; parenting approaches; friendships and socialising; children's education and parental paid employment. Most children and families sought a biomedical cure for pain. They experienced difficulties seeking and receiving support from health services to manage pain and its impacts. Consequently, some families repeatedly visited health services. Cochrane reviews of intervention effects and trials did not measure some outcomes important to children and families, for example effects of pain on the family and resolution of pain. Reviews have mainly neglected a biopsychosocial approach when considering how interventions work.

Limitations

There were limited data on common pain conditions like migraine/headache, abdominal pain; some rarer conditions; children with learning disabilities and under-fives; siblings; fathers and experiences of treatments/services. We excluded studies on cancer, end-of-life pain and experiences of healthcare professionals.

Conclusions

We developed the family-centred theory of children's chronic pain management, integrating health and social care with community support.

Future work

Future research should explore families' experiences of services and treatments, including opioids, and social care services; experiences of children with autism and learning disabilities, under 5 years old and with certain common pain conditions. We need development and testing of family-centred interventions and services.

Study registration

This study is registered as PROSPERO (CRD42019161455) and Cochrane Pain, Palliative and Supportive Care (623).

Funding

This award was funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Health and Social Care Delivery Research programme (NIHR award ref: NIHR128671) and is published in full in Health and Social Care Delivery Research; Vol. 12, No. 17. See the NIHR Funding and Awards website for further award information.

Predicting comorbid mental health difficulties in people with autoimmune arthritis

Little is known about variables impacting the association between mental health difficulties and autoimmune conditions. This study investigates whether, age of onset, adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), and 'illness invisibility' predict comorbid mental health difficulties in people with autoimmune arthritis. Participants with autoimmune arthritis (N = 209) were recruited via social media platforms. Age of onset of arthritis and the temporal order of mental health difficulties (if applicable) were collected alongside a measure of personality and ACEs. A novel measure of illness invisibility was developed for this study. A cross-sectional mixed-subject design was utilised. 53.5% of the sample endorsed lifetime mental health difficulties. Logistic regression analyses revealed participants with a younger age of onset of arthritis had significantly higher odds of developing a mental health problem (OR 0.93, 95% CI 0.90-0.96). Independently, Illness Invisibility, endorsed by 89.9% of participants, significantly predicted postmorbid mental health difficulties (OR 1.08, 95% CI 1.01-1.19). Adverse Childhood Experiences were frequently endorsed within the sample with 37.8% reporting ≥ 3 cumulative ACEs. Every unit increase in ACEs increased the odds of having comorbid mental health difficulties (OR 1.27, 95% CI 1.09-1.47). Young people who are diagnosed with autoimmune arthritis maybe more likely to experience subsequent mental health difficulties. The 'invisibility' of their illness and exposure to ACEs also is associated with their risk for mental health complications. These findings highlight the importance of mental health screening for young people being investigated for arthritis and interdisciplinary care, especially for young people.

Psychiatric Morbidity Is Common Among Children With Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis: A National Matched Cohort Study

OBJECTIVE

Juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) is a chronic rheumatic disease that causes joint inflammation and pain. Previous studies have indicated affected mental health and increased risk of psychiatric conditions among patients with JIA. We aimed to explore differences in psychiatric morbidity between children with JIA and their peers. We further studied if parental socioeconomic status (SES) influences the association between JIA and the risk of psychiatric morbidity.

METHODS

We used a matched cohort design to estimate the association between JIA and psychiatric disease. Children with JIA, born between 1995 and 2014, were identified in Danish national registers. Based on birth registers, we randomly selected 100 age- and sex-matched children per index child. Index date was the date of the fifth JIA diagnosis code or the date of matching for reference children. End of follow-up was the date of psychiatric diagnosis, death, emigration, or December 31, 2018, whatever came first. Data were analyzed using a Cox proportional hazard model.

RESULTS

We identified 2086 children with JIA with a mean age at diagnosis of 8.1 years. Children with JIA had a 17% higher instantaneous risk of a psychiatric diagnosis when compared with the reference group, with an adjusted hazard ratio of 1.17 (95% CI 1.02-1.34). Relevant associations were found only for depression and adjustment disorders. Stratifying our analysis for SES showed no modifying effect of SES.

CONCLUSION

Children with JIA had a higher risk of psychiatric diagnoses compared to their peers, especially diagnoses of depression and adjustment disorders. The association between JIA and psychiatric disease did not depend on parental SES.

A meta-ethnography of how children and young people with chronic non-cancer pain and their families experience and understand their condition, pain services, and treatments

BACKGROUND

Chronic non-cancer pain in childhood is widespread, affecting 20% to 35% of children and young people worldwide. For a sizeable number of children, chronic non-cancer pain has considerable negative impacts on their lives and quality of life, and leads to increased use of healthcare services and medication. In many countries, there are few services for managing children's chronic non-cancer pain, with many services being inadequate. Fourteen Cochrane Reviews assessing the effects of pharmacological, psychological, psychosocial, dietary or physical activity interventions for managing children's chronic non-cancer pain identified a lack of high-quality evidence to inform pain management. To design and deliver services and interventions that meet the needs of patients and their families, we need to understand how children with chronic non-cancer pain and their families experience pain, their views of services and treatments for chronic pain, and which outcomes are important to them.

OBJECTIVES

1. To synthesise qualitative studies that examine the experiences and perceptions of children with chronic non-cancer pain and their families regarding chronic non-cancer pain, treatments and services to inform the design and delivery of health and social care services, interventions and future research. 2. To explore whether our review findings help to explain the results of Cochrane Reviews of intervention effects of treatments for children's chronic non-cancer pain. 3. To determine if programme theories and outcomes of interventions match children and their families' views of desired treatments and outcomes. 4. To use our findings to inform the selection and design of patient-reported outcome measures for use in chronic non-cancer pain studies and interventions and care provision to children and their families. The review questions are: 1. How do children with chronic non-cancer pain and their families conceptualise chronic pain? 2. How do children with chronic non-cancer pain and their families live with chronic pain? 3. What do children with chronic non-cancer pain and their families think of how health and social care services respond to and manage their child's chronic pain? 4. What do children with chronic non-cancer pain and their families conceptualise as 'good' chronic pain management and what do they want to achieve from chronic pain management interventions and services?

SEARCH METHODS

Review strategy: we comprehensively searched 12 bibliographic databases including MEDLINE, CINAHL, PsycInfo and grey literature sources, and conducted supplementary searches in 2020. We updated the database searches in September 2022.

SELECTION CRITERIA

To identify published and unpublished qualitative research with children aged 3 months to 18 years with chronic non-cancer pain and their families focusing on their perceptions, experiences and views of chronic pain, services and treatments. The final inclusion criteria were agreed with a patient and public involvement group of children and young people with chronic non-cancer pain and their families.

DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS

We conducted a qualitative evidence synthesis using meta-ethnography, a seven-phase, systematic, interpretive, inductive methodology that takes into account the contexts and meanings of the original studies. We assessed the richness of eligible studies and purposively sampled rich studies ensuring they addressed the review questions. Cochrane Qualitative Methods Implementation Group guidance guided sampling. We assessed the methodological limitations of studies using the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme tool. We extracted data on study aims, focus, characteristics and conceptual findings from study reports using NVivo software. We compared these study data to determine how the studies related to one another and grouped studies by pain conditions for synthesis. We used meta-ethnography to synthesise each group of studies separately before synthesising them all together. Analysis and interpretation of studies involved children with chronic non-cancer pain and their families and has resulted in theory to inform service design and delivery. Sampling, organising studies for synthesis, and analysis and interpretation involved our patient and public involvement group who contributed throughout the conduct of the review. We used the GRADE-CERQual (Confidence in the Evidence from Reviews of Qualitative research) approach to assess our confidence in each review finding. We used a matrix approach to integrate our findings with existing Cochrane Reviews on treatment effectiveness for children's chronic non-cancer pain.

MAIN RESULTS

We synthesised 43 studies sampled from 170 eligible studies reported in 182 publications. Included studies involved 633 participants. GRADE-CERQual assessments of findings were mostly high (n = 21, 58%) or moderate (n = 12, 33%) confidence with three (8%) low or very low confidence. Poorly managed, moderate or severe chronic non-cancer pain had profound adverse impacts on family dynamics and relationships; family members' emotions, well-being, autonomy and sense of self-identity; parenting strategies; friendships and socialising; children's education and future employment prospects; and parental employment. Most children and parents understood chronic non-cancer pain as having an underlying biological cause and wanted curative treatment. However, families had difficulties seeking and obtaining support from health services to manage their child's pain and its impacts. Children and parents felt that healthcare professionals did not always listen to their experiences and expertise, or believe the child's pain. Some families repeatedly visited health services seeking a diagnosis and cure. Over time, some children and families gave up hope of effective treatment. Outcomes measured within trials and Cochrane Reviews of intervention effects did not include some outcomes of importance to children and families, including impacts of pain on the whole family and absence of pain. Cochrane Reviews have mainly neglected a holistic biopsychosocial approach, which specifies the interrelatedness of biological, psychological and social aspects of illness, when selecting outcome measures and considering how chronic pain management interventions work.

AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS

We had high or moderate confidence in the evidence contributing to most review findings. Further research, especially into families' experiences of treatments and services, could strengthen the evidence for low or very low confidence findings. Future research should also explore families' experiences in low- to middle-income contexts; of pain treatments including opioid use in children, which remains controversial; and of social care services. We need development and testing of family-centred interventions and services acceptable to families. Future trials of children's chronic non-cancer pain interventions should include family-centred outcomes.

A shared love: reciprocity and hopefulness in romantic relationships of young adults with chronic pain

Introduction

Chronic pain (≥3 months) creates pain-related challenges that may negatively affect how young adults perceive themselves, and, indeed, they often report feeling different compared to peers and prospective romantic partners. Most studies of romantic relationships in young adults living with a long-term condition (including pain), do not consider the perspective of their partner. We present the findings of a qualitative, exploratory interview study (Phase 2 of a mixed methods study). This qualitative phase aimed to explore how young adults with chronic pain and their partners navigate romantic relationships. We focused on how young adults perceive and experience their romantic relationships and the impact, challenges, and benefits associated with living with chronic pain.

Methods

This study used remote (videoconferencing) photo-elicitation interviews with a convenience sample of young adults with chronic pain (aged 18-25 years, UK and Canada) and their partners. Recruitment occurred via social media, pain-related websites and organizations, and professional networks. Five young adults with chronic pain from the UK and Canada formed the e-Advisory Group and provided detailed advice throughout the study. Data analysis used the principles of inductive reflexive thematic analysis to explore the dimensions and meaning of romantic relationships from the views of young adults with chronic pain and their romantic partners.

Findings

Sixteen young adults participated (seven couples plus two young adults with pain who were interviewed without their partner). The young adults with chronic pain were ages 18-24 years (mean 21.88 years, SD 2.23). Four major interpretive themes were generated: Kindred spirits-we just sort of work; Loving in everyday acts-it's not above and beyond, it's concerned supportiveness; It's OK to be vulnerable with each other-we can talk it through; and You can't see over the horizon-hopes and fears for the future.

Discussion

Hopefulness and reciprocity were key to the stories shared by the young adults in the current study. Despite the challenges and limitations imposed by chronic pain, their relationships were characterized by partnership and reciprocity, and they were able to be vulnerable with each other and offer each other support.

Glass half full: A diary and interview qualitative investigation of flourishing among adolescents living with chronic pain

BACKGROUND

Counter to paediatric pain literature that typically highlights the deleterious impacts associated with adolescent chronic pain, evidence suggests that some adolescents flourish in their experience of pain. This study sought to explore how adolescents experience, understand and perceive flourishing while living with chronic pain.

METHODS

Twenty-four adolescents aged 11-24 years were recruited via clinical and online settings. All adolescents were asked to complete daily diary entries, with a subset of 10 participants asked to complete follow-up interviews.

RESULTS

Inductive reflexive thematic analysis generated two themes: 'Appreciating the moment' and 'Becoming a better version of myself'. Themes addressed how self and other comparisons facilitated a renewed appreciation for achievements and pleasures in life due to living with chronic pain. Adolescents further demonstrated a perception of continued personal and social growth in their experience of chronic pain, including increased emotional maturity, resilience, positivity, kindness and improved communication skills.

CONCLUSIONS

We conclude that adolescents can experience positive changes in functioning and flourish in some domains of life despite, or resulting from, chronic pain. Further research with an exclusive focus on flourishing is needed to build on this work and address this important gap in knowledge.

SIGNIFICANCE

We present evidence that adolescents can flourish when living with chronic pain. Such knowledge may inform the development of positive psychological treatment strategies that are focused on reinforcing adolescents' existing strengths, to expand on current treatment options for adolescents living with chronic pain.

Exploring User Visions for Modeling mHealth Apps Toward Supporting Patient-Parent-Clinician Collaboration and Shared Decision-making When Treating Adolescent Knee Pain in General Practice: Workshop Study

BACKGROUND

Long-standing knee pain is one of the most common reasons for adolescents (aged 10-19 years) to consult general practice. Generally, 1 in 2 adolescents will continue to experience pain after 2 years, but exercises and self-management education can improve the prognosis. However, adherence to exercises and self-management education interventions remains poor. Mobile health (mHealth) apps have the potential for supporting adolescents' self-management, enhancing treatment adherence, and fostering patient-centered approaches. However, it remains unclear how mHealth apps should be designed to act as tools for supporting individual and collaborative management of adolescents' knee pain in a general practice setting.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of the study was to extract design principles for designing mHealth core features, which were both sufficiently robust to support adolescents' everyday management of their knee pain and sufficiently flexible to act as enablers for enhancing patient-parent collaboration and shared decision-making.

METHODS

Overall, 3 future workshops were conducted with young adults with chronic knee pain since adolescence, parents, and general practitioners (GPs). Each workshop followed similar procedures, using case vignettes and design cards to stimulate discussions, shared construction of knowledge and elicit visions for mHealth designs. Young adults and parents were recruited via social media posts targeting individuals in Northern Jutland. GPs were recruited via email and cold calling. Data were transcribed and analyzed thematically using NVivo (QSR International) coding software. Extracted themes were synthesized in a matrix to map tensions in the collaborative space and inform a conceptual model for designing mHealth core-features to support individual and collaborative management of knee pain.

RESULTS

Overall, 38% (9/24) young adults with chronic knee pain since adolescence, 25% (6/24) parents, and 38% (9/24) GPs participated in the workshops. Data analysis revealed how adolescents, parents, and clinicians took on different roles within the collaborative space, with different tasks, challenges, and information needs. In total, 5 themes were identified: adolescents as explorers of pain and social rules; parents as supporters, advocates and enforcers of boundaries; and GPs as guides, gatekeepers, and navigators or systemic constraints described participants' roles; collaborative barriers and tensions referred to the contextual elements; and visions for an mHealth app identified beneficial core features. The synthesis informed a conceptual model, outlining 3 principles for consolidating mHealth core features as enablers for supporting role negotiation, limiting collaborative tensions, and facilitating shared decision-making.

CONCLUSIONS

An mHealth app for treating adolescents with knee pain should be designed to accommodate multiple users, enable them to shift between individual management decision-making, take charge, and engage in role negotiation to inform shared decision-making. We identified 3 silver-bullet principles for consolidating mHealth core features as enablers for negotiation by supporting patient-GP collaboration, supporting transitions, and cultivating the parent-GP alliance.

Let Us Talk Treatment: Using a Digital Body Map Tool to Examine Treatment Burden and Coping Strategies Among Young People with a Chronic Condition

PURPOSE

Treatment for a chronic condition can pose a heavy burden on young people and affect their quality of life. The present study examined young people's experiences with treatment burden and their coping strategies.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

The body mapping method was employed, in which a life-sized outline of someone's body is traced and populated with visual representations, symbols and words. For the present study, a digital tool for body mapping was developed. This is a chat robot which helps young people make a body map by asking questions about their lives, wellbeing and the influence of their treatment on this. In two series of three workshops, ten young people (16 to 25 years) with a chronic, somatic condition created individual body maps using this tool. The body maps were discussed in the group to obtain insight into experiences with treatment burden. The findings were analysed using thematic analysis. In all stages of the study, two adolescents with a chronic condition were involved as co-researchers.

RESULTS

The results show that young people with a chronic condition experience considerable treatment burden. Although treatment reduces their symptoms, it also leads to physical and emotional side-effects, restrictions of meaningful activities, issues with future planning, reduced independence, and autonomy and loneliness. Young people apply several strategies to cope with this burden, such as seeking support from others, focusing on the positive, ignoring treatment advice, and seeing a psychologist.

CONCLUSION

Treatment burden is a subjective experience and not merely based on the number or types of treatment. It is therefore vital that young people with a chronic condition discuss their experiences with their care provider. This can help to tailor treatment decisions to their lives and needs.

“I had already tried that before going to the doctor” – exploring adolescents’ with knee pain perspectives on ‘wait and see’ as a management strategy in primary care; a study with brief semi-structured qualitative interviews

Objectives

The aim of this study was to examine how the “wait-and-see” recommendation affects adolescents’ understanding of their illness and symptoms and their care-seeking behavior.

Methods

This study included brief qualitative, semi-structured online interviews. Adolescents (age 10–19 years) with long-term knee pain, who had been recommended “wait-and-see” by their general practitioner (GP), were recruited via previous studies and social media. Two researchers conducted brief semi-structured interviews through Microsoft Teams. An interview guide with open questions was created prior to the interviews and updated as new questions emerged. The extracted data was transcribed and analyzed via a reflexive thematic approach in NVivo.

Results

Eight adolescents (mean age 17.8) with longstanding or recurrent knee pain (mean duration 3.5 years) were included. The analysis identified four main themes: (1) The perception of wait and see over time, (2) The GP’s acknowledgement and consideration, (3) experienced limitation from knee pain and (4) the importance of getting a diagnosis. The perception of “wait-and-see” approach changed from positive to negative when adolescents received the recommendation multiple times. Adolescents experienced frustration with their situation and a lack of consideration from their GP made them cautious about seeking additional care. Knee pain significantly limited the adolescents’ physical-and social activities. Receiving a diagnosis was important and helped adolescents dealing with their pain.

Conclusions

The connotation of wait-and-see changed from positive to negative for adolescents when receiving the recommendation multiple times. The participants felt getting a clinical diagnosis was a relief. Furthermore, the lack of consideration and acknowledgement from the GP plays an essential role in the adolescent’s understanding of their knee pain.

Implications

Recommending adolescents to “wait-and-see” multiple times in relation to their knee problems can lead adolescents experience frustration and a lack of consideration from their GP. It would be advisable for GPs to provide adolescents with a diagnosis as it can facilitate them in dealing with their pain and to use simple language when explaining adolescents their condition to improve communication.

Flourishing among adolescents living with chronic pain and their parents: A scoping review

Evidence exists regarding the impact of flourishing in individuals living with chronic pain, but there are currently no reviews which collate the literature on flourishing in adolescents living with chronic pain and their parents. Therefore, the aim of this scoping review was to map and review the current literature, to document how flourishing is defined and understood in the literature, and to identify gaps in the field. Six databases were searched (Web of Science, Medline, Embase, APA PsycNet and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials). In addition, a limited gray literature search was conducted. The resulting data were collated and reported in relation to the review questions, by examining the included papers to search for the presence of flourishing. Database searches resulted in 7326 papers after duplicate removal, with eight remaining papers being assessed for full-text eligibility. Following full-text screening, a final four papers were included in the review. Within the papers, flourishing was defined in relation to commonalities of benefit finding, enhanced maturity and growth, and social support. Gaps in the literature and directions for future research are considered. This review suggests that there is a dearth of knowledge and research regarding flourishing among adolescents living with chronic pain and their parents, despite aspects of flourishing identified in limited literature. This warrants further investigation.

"I just want to be normal": A qualitative investigation of adolescents' coping goals when dealing with pain related to arthritis and the underlying parent-adolescent personal models

The aim of the current study was to examine adolescents' goals when coping with pain and map these goals to the cognitive and emotional profiles of both adolescent and their parent. 17 adolescents (11-16 years) and their parents participated in a cohort study of Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (JIA); the adolescents, took part in a two-part interview (about their pain perceptions and about a recent pain experience) and the parents completed an open-ended qualitative survey. The three datasets were analysed following a qualitative framework approach. A coping framework was developed and cognitive and emotional profiles for both adolescent and parent were mapped back to the framework. The overall goal of adolescents was to preserve social identity, by either focusing on maintaining a "normal" lifestyle (sub-coping goal one) or managing the pain (sub-coping goal two). Across these two sub-coping goals, the adolescents held similar cognitive profiles (beliefs about timeline, consequences, control) but different emotional profiles such as feeling fine/happy compared with feeling angry and frustrated. Conversely, the parents' cognitive and emotional profiles were mapped back to the two groups and found that their beliefs were different across the two sub-coping goals but had similar emotional profiles across the two groups such as worry. Both the adolescents' emotional representations and parental cognitive profiles seem to be related to how the adolescent perceives a pain event, deals with the pain, and the overall coping goal of the adolescent. Findings are suggestive that parental pain beliefs influence the adolescents' pain representations and their coping goals but are also driven by adolescents' emotions. Further work on these potential pathways is needed. Family interventions should be designed, targeting coping goals taking into consideration the importance of emotions for adolescents and parental pain beliefs.

Critical user-configurations in mHealth design: How mHealth-app design practices come to bias design against chronically ill children and young people as mHealth users

Mobile health smartphone applications (mHealth-apps) are increasingly emerging to assist children's and young people's management of chronic conditions. However, difficulties persist in applying design approaches in mHealth projects that return apps that are useful to this group. In this article, we explore ethnographically two self-proclaimed ‘user-driven’ projects designing mHealth apps for Danish patients below the age of 18 living with, respectively, haemophilia and rheumatoid arthritis. These projects initially included the perspectives of children and young people to inform the designs, however, eventually launched the final apps for adult patients only. Through a concept of ‘critical user-configuration’, we examine the projects’ challenges with attuning the designs to children and young people and how these drove their exclusion as users of the emerging mHealth apps. Critical user-configuration draws attention to critical moments in design practices where significant shifts in user-configurations take place, shaping who can become a user. More specifically, we uncover three critical moments: where mHealth projects expand the group of prospective users; where test subjects are selected; and where data governance systems and digital health infrastructures are mobilised in the design process. Throughout these critical moments, there is a drift from user-driven to data-driven design approaches which increasingly exclude groups of users who are less datafiable – in our case children and young people. We argue that besides giving voice to minors in mHealth design processes, we need to be mindful of the design practices that become decisive for – often implicitly – who can be configured as a user.

Dismissal, distrust, and dismay: A phenomenological exploration of young women's diagnostic experiences with endometriosis and subsequent support

Endometriosis is associated with extensive physical and emotional difficulties, yet there is little research investigating the impact of the diagnostic journey particularly for younger women. Using semi structured on-line interviews and an interpretative phenomenological analysis, this study explored nine young women's experiences of the diagnostic process and the significance of support during this period. Three main themes emerged: 'the pursuit of a diagnosis', 'adjusting to a new normality' and 'the importance of effective support'. These experiences revealed clinical shortcomings and potential improvements to current guidelines and practices to facilitate a more emboldening process for patients.

Functional limitations caused by simple bone cysts

PURPOSE

Relatively little is known about the impact of benign bone lesions on function. The aim of this study was to create a more complete understanding of the impact of functional disability from simple bone cysts (SBCs) by combining qualitative and quantitative methods.

METHODS

This study followed a convergent parallel mixed methods design. The quantitative arm included 130 children with SBC and used the Activities Scale for Kids (ASK) to measure physical function. In the qualitative arm ten children and their parents participated in interviews related to activity participation and interactions with their physical and social environments. The two data sets were analyzed independently and then the results were integrated.

RESULTS

The ASK demonstrated 35% of children achieving the maximum score. In total, 65% of children responded "I had no medical needs" confirming that SBC, while being present throughout childhood, is largely perceived as not a chronic illness. Qualitatively most children reported minimal or no changes in activity participation but reported thinking about being more cautious during play, confirming that SBC affects effort not participation in play.

CONCLUSION

The diagnosis of SBC did not have a significant impact on physical function, but did alter children's thoughts about physical activity participation. This finding suggests that physical function scores may have unappreciated ceiling effects. Outcome tools that combine both illness perceptions and physical function may help to better assess functional outcomes of SBC.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

III.

What is QOL in children and adolescents with physical disabilities? A thematic synthesis of pediatric QOL literature

PURPOSE

Many neuromotor conditions affect children from a young age through to adulthood, impacting their quality of life (QOL). For QOL to be accurately measured in these children, pediatric QOL must first be conceptualized. Some theoretical models and definitions have been proposed to understand QOL, but they were not developed for the pediatric population. The purpose of this review is to build on existing frameworks of QOL and develop a framework and definition of pediatric QOL for measurement purposes, by integrating the findings of multiple qualitative studies involving children and adolescents with physical disabilities.

METHODS

A systematic search was conducted on four databases. Inclusion criteria were qualitative studies with participants with common neurological and neuromuscular conditions. The content of studies had to involve the lived experiences of children and adolescents with disabilities. Thematic synthesis was conducted.

RESULTS

48 studies were included. Results generated a schema of the causes and the mitigators of QOL. This  consisted of casual indicators of QOL, mitigators, and components of QOL. Themes under QOL included thoughts and feelings, fitting in, self-image, about the future, and independence. A new framework and definition of pediatric QOL were proposed.

CONCLUSIONS

In conclusion, pediatric QOL for children with disabilities is formed by their thoughts and feelings, being accepted by society, being able to forge an identity that is beyond their disability, having autonomy, and having a hope for the future. The resulting QOL framework proposed here can also aid future development of QOL measures in children with physical disabilities.

Developing the Resilience Framework for Nursing and Healthcare

Despite four decades of resilience research, resilience remains a poor fit for practice as a scientific construct. Using the literature, we explored the concepts attributed to the development of resilience, identifying those that mitigate symptoms of distress caused by adversity and facilitate coping in seven classes of illness: transplants, cancer, mental illness, episodic illness, chronic and painful illness, unexpected events, and illness within a dyadic relationship. We identified protective, compensatory, and challenge-related coping-concept strategies that healthcare workers and patients use during the adversity experience. Healthcare-worker assessment and selection of appropriate coping concepts enable the individual to control their distress, resulting in attainment of equanimity and the state of resilience, permitting the resilient individual to work toward recovery, recalibration, and readjustment. We inductively developed and linked these conceptual components into a dynamic framework, The Resilience Framework for Nursing and Healthcare, making it widely applicable for healthcare across a variety of patients.

Adolescents' experiences of fluctuating pain in musculoskeletal disorders: a qualitative systematic review and thematic synthesis

BACKGROUND

Adolescents with chronic musculoskeletal pain experience daily fluctuations in pain. Although not all fluctuations are bothersome, pain flares are a distinct type of symptom fluctuation with greater impact. Since literature on the experience of pain flares is non-existent, the aim of this review was to (i) synthesise the qualitative literature on adolescents' experiences of fluctuating pain in musculoskeletal disorders in order to (ii) identify knowledge gaps to inform future research on pain flares.

METHODS

Electronic databases (CINAHL, MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO), grey literature and reference lists were searched from inception to June 2018 for qualitative studies reporting adolescents' experiences of pain. Comprehensiveness of reporting was assessed using the Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Health Research. Studies were analysed using thematic synthesis.

RESULTS

Of the 3787 records identified, 32 studies (n = 536) were included. Principal findings were synthesised under three key themes: 1) symptom experience, 2) disruption and loss, and 3) regaining control. The first theme (symptom experience) describes adolescent's perception and interpretation of pain fluctuations. The second theme (disruption and loss) describes the physical, social and emotional constraints faced as a result of changes in pain. The third theme (regaining control) describes coping strategies used to resist and accommodate unpredictable phases of pain. Each theme was experienced differently depending on adolescents' characteristics such as their developmental status, pain condition, and the duration of the pain experience.

CONCLUSIONS

Adolescents with chronic musculoskeletal pain live with a daily background level of symptoms which frequently fluctuate and are associated with functional and emotional difficulties. It was not clear whether these symptoms and challenges were experienced as part of 'typical' fluctuations in pain, or whether they reflect symptom exacerbations classified as 'flares'. Further research is needed to explore the frequency and characteristics of pain flares, and how they differ from their typical fluctuations in pain. The review also highlights areas relating to the pain experience, symptom management and health service provision that require further exploration to support more personalised, tailored care for adolescents with chronic musculoskeletal pain.

The impact of adolescents' everyday life experiences on their primary hyperhidrosis treatment - a qualitative study

INTRODUCTION

Hyperhidrosis is a disease affecting around 5% of the western population. The qualitative field within hyperhidrosis among adolescents has been sparsely investigated. The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of adolescent hyperhidrosis patients' everyday life experiences on their hyperhidrosis treatment.

METHODS

Qualitative, semi-structured interviews were carried out. In total, 10 adolescents, aged 12-18 years, participated in the study. Data were analyzed using a set of inseparable activities as described by Van Manen.

RESULTS

Three main themes were identified to represent common shared experiences across participants. The first theme was related to the impact of hyperhidrosis on the physical and psychological dimensions of life as it negatively affected both physical abilities and one's self-concept. Having hyperhidrosis was experienced as living a life in secrecy, characterized by individual routines for concealment and isolation in order to protect social identity.

CONCLUSION

The large negative impact of hyperhidrosis on adolescents is a strong justification for treatment of the disease. The substantial emotional distress suggests that treatment may need to include psychological support.

Adolescents’ social needs living with juvenile idiopathic arthritis and their views about digital resources

Background

Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (JIA) and its related symptoms (e.g. pain) have been associated with interference in the daily life of adolescents with JIA including their friendships. There is little research in that sense and in consequence, interventions designed to improve this area. The objectives of this study are 1) to gain knowledge about the needs of adolescents with JIA, particularly focused on their friendships; 2) to explore the potential of the Internet to help them, and 3) to determine what kind of online resource would be the best and what elements it should include.

Methods

To achieve the proposed objectives we designed a qualitative study including two phases: the first one exploratory (semi-structured interviews) and the following, confirmatory (online focus group).

Results

14 adolescents were interviewed and 7 participated in the focus group. They reported some social challenges related to their illness: feeling different, criticized by peers, or not believed. Additionally, they specified some of the coping strategies they used, such as disclosing to others that they have JIA, using communication skills, maintaining activities with friends, trying to minimize pain, and ignoring negative comments. Adolescents considered an online resource useful and mentioned that they would like to find general information and to have the possibility to interact with others. They considered Instagram and WhatsApp as good platforms to implement the online resource.

Conclusions

According to their perceptions, adolescents with JIA can benefit from an online resource which delivers information, strategies and facilitates interaction with others.

The socio-material self-care practices of children living with hemophilia or juvenile idiopathic arthritis in Denmark

Growing up with a chronic disease can take its toll on children and their families, and if poorly managed, be disruptive to children's long-term health and wellbeing. While parents and health service providers do play a central role in disease management, children's own self-care practices often go unnoticed. In existing literature, children's self-care practices only tend to emerge in research with adolescents who "transition" from pediatric to adult clinical care services. This study was conducted in December 2017 to May 2018 and explores ethnographically the self-care practices of children affected by hemophilia or juvenile idiopathic arthritis in Denmark, with a particular interest in how social relations and material context affect their pre-transition self-care practices. A total number of 16 children and adolescents aged 7-17 years and 39 family members participated in the study. We find that the children participate in three socio-material self-care practices. Firstly, the children actively engage in home treatment of their bodies by changing the setup of medical equipment and incorporating everyday materialities to make treatment more comfortable. Secondly, they play games imitating their own treatment, using medical equipment on dolls or teddy bears to seek out experience and learning. Thirdly, they seek a sense of normality by tactically hiding material signifiers of their disease in online and offline encounters with peers. Our findings suggest that children living with a chronic disease establish and participate in a range of different self-care practices, and actively mobilize people and things around them to achieve precisely this. We conclude that these socio-material self-care practices are central to helping children make sense of living with chronic disease, both to maintain health and wellbeing, but also to gain greater independence. We encourage others to recognize children's pre-transition self-care practices, and the implications of these agentic capabilities.

MTX intolerance in children and adolescents with juvenile idiopathic arthritis

MTX is the medication most commonly used for antirheumatic treatment in juvenile idiopathic arthritis. It has high efficacy, is usually well tolerated and has an excellent safety profile. However, frequently intolerance symptoms develop that manifest as nausea, feelings of disgust or abdominal complaints prior to or directly after administration of the medication. No obvious toxicity is causing these intolerance symptoms, but symptoms are strictly limited to MTX and not transferred to other medications. MTX intolerance causes a significant reduction of quality of life in affected patients, frequently puts the treating physician in difficult situations regarding treatment choice, and may lead to uncomfortable decisions whether or not to stop an otherwise effective drug. Conventional countermeasures such as antiemetics, change of route from subcutaneous to oral or vice versa, or taste masking usually have only a limited effect. In this review, we present the current knowledge on MTX intolerance, its clinical picture and commonly employed strategies. We also consider newer behavioural treatment strategies that may offer a more effective symptom control.

Making Decisions About Stopping Medicines for Well-Controlled Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis: A Mixed-Methods Study of Patients and Caregivers

OBJECTIVE

Improved treatments for juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) have increased remission rates. We conducted this study to investigate how patients and caregivers make decisions about stopping medications when JIA is inactive.

METHODS

We performed a mixed-methods study of caregivers and patients affected by JIA, recruited through social media and flyers, and selected by purposive sampling. Participants discussed their experiences with JIA, medications, and decision-making through recorded telephone interviews. Of 44 interviewees, 20 were patients (50% ages <18 years), and 24 were caregivers (50% caring for children ages ≤10 years). We evaluated characteristics associated with high levels of reported concerns about JIA or medicines using Fisher's exact testing.

RESULTS

Decisions about stopping medicines were informed by competing risks between disease activity and treatment. Participants who expressed more concerns about JIA were more likely to report disease-related complications (P = 0.002) and more motivated to continue treatment. However, participants expressing more concern about medicines were more likely to report treatment-related complications (P = 0.04) and felt more compelled to stop treatment. Additionally, participants considered how JIA or treatments facilitated or interfered with their sense of normalcy and safety, expressed feelings of guilt and regret about previous or potential adverse events, and reflected on uncertainty and unpredictability of future harms. Decision-making was also informed by trust in rheumatologists and other information sources (e.g., family and online support groups).

CONCLUSION

When deciding whether to stop medicines whenever JIA is inactive, patients and caregivers weigh competing risks between disease activity and treatment. Based on our results, we suggest specific approaches for clinicians to perform shared decision-making regarding stopping medicines for JIA.

"I'm not what I used to be": A qualitative study exploring how young people experience being diagnosed with a chronic illness

BACKGROUND

Childhood long-term conditions are usually diagnosed in infancy or early childhood. Little is known about the particular experiences and needs of young people who receive a chronic illness diagnosis during adolescence or late childhood. This paper will examine this experience in relation to multiple sclerosis (MS), which is increasingly being diagnosed before adulthood.

AIMS

To explore how young people experience an MS diagnosis.

METHODS

Qualitative study using a grounded theory approach. In-depth interviews were conducted with 21 young people diagnosed with MS. Participants were recruited through health service and voluntary sector organizations in the United Kingdom.

RESULTS

Young people's pre-illness normality was disrupted by the diagnosis of a chronic illness (MS). Participants experienced their body as changed physically, cognitively, and emotionally and as changeable due to symptom unpredictability. This influenced how participants perceived and presented their identity, disrupted their relationships, and altered their future biography. Young people developed strategies to manage their condition and identities in order to incorporate MS into their current and future lives, which required continual illness and identity work in response to changing symptoms, social contexts, and relationships.

CONCLUSIONS

Although young peoples' experience of living with chronic illness has been widely explored, the aftermath of diagnosis has been underresearched from their perspective. This study contributes to this knowledge gap by illuminating how young people experience a chronic illness diagnosis and negotiate the resulting changes to their identity, relationships, and future. The findings suggest that young people need preparation and support in disclosing their diagnosis to others. Professionals supporting young people with long-term conditions need to work closely with specialist mental health services to ensure that they receive appropriate emotional support. Schools have an important role in ensuring young people with long-term conditions achieve their academic potential and receive appropriate careers advice.

Self-management needs of Irish adolescents with Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (JIA): how can a Canadian web-based programme meet these needs?

BACKGROUND

Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (JIA) affects over 1000 children and adolescents in Ireland, potentially impacting health-related quality-of-life. Accessible self-management strategies, including Internet-based interventions, can support adolescents in Ireland where specialist rheumatology care is geographically-centralised within the capital city. This study interviewed adolescents with JIA, their parents, and healthcare professionals to (i) explore the self-management needs of Irish adolescents; and (ii) evaluate the acceptability of an adapted version of a Canadian JIA self-management programme (Teens Taking Charge: Managing Arthritis Online, or TTC) for Irish users.

METHODS

Focus groups and interviews were conducted with Irish adolescents with JIA (N = 16), their parents (N = 13), and Irish paediatric healthcare professionals (HCPs; N = 22). Adolescents were aged 12-18 (Mage = 14.19 years), and predominantly female (62.5%). Participants identified the needs of adolescents with JIA and evaluated the usefulness of the TTC programme. Data were analysed using a thematic analysis approach.

RESULTS

Five themes emerged: independent self-management; acquiring skills and knowledge to manage JIA; unique challenges of JIA in Ireland; views on web-based interventions; and understanding through social support. Adolescents acknowledged the need for independent self-management and gradually took additional responsibilities to achieve this goal. However, they felt they lacked information to manage their condition independently. Parents and adolescents emphasised the need for social support and felt a peer-support scheme could provide additional benefit to adolescents if integrated within the TTC programme. All participants endorsed the TTC programme to gain knowledge about JIA and offered suggestions to make the programme relevant to Irish users.

CONCLUSIONS

There is scope for providing easily-accessible, accurate information to Irish families with JIA. The acceptability of adapting an existing JIA self-management intervention for Irish users was confirmed.

Functional mastery of health ownership: A model for optimum health

The aim of this paper is to introduce the Functional Mastery of Health Ownership (FMHO) model and to develop an operational definition of functional mastery as it applies to a positive health outcome for patients with chronic illness or an altered life situation. Daily functioning within the negative disease burden of chronic illness is the goal of individuals living within the constraints of morbidity. Functional mastery fosters health ownership and helps to predict successful control over life circumstances for optimum wellness within the parameters of the limitations of the effects of illness. Significant to nursing, the FMHO conceptual framework uses four foundational influences to assess a patient's ability to not only master function within the disease process, but also to sustain function and best health over time. The FMHO model provides a tool for practitioners to enable individualized care as patients move through the disease process and adapt to changes over time.

Experience of Being Young With Psoriasis: Self-Management Support Needs

Psoriasis is a long-term condition with a possibly cumulative life course impairment. Young people struggle to minimize its effects on appearance and functioning. To date, the self-management needs of adolescents suffering from psoriasis have been underinvestigated. Using focus groups and individual interviews, we present an interpretive description of young people's experiences of living with psoriasis, the challenges they face, and the support they need to relieve suffering and come to terms with their condition. This process is characterized by loneliness, the self-imposition of limitations, and the lack of personalized knowledge and communication skills to manage the impact of disease and society's reactions. Our study provides insight into needs of early interventions tailored to address condition, role, and emotional management, involving parent education, peer support, storytelling, and roles for professionals. We argue that further research should involve young people, their parents, and professionals in the development and evaluation of interventions.

"It's not who I am": Children's experiences of growing up with a long-term condition in England, Australia, and New Zealand

PURPOSE

Most studies of growing up with a long-term condition focus on older children and adolescents and are condition-specific. Relatively few studies address the experiences of children in middle childhood or consider their experience across a range of conditions, countries, and health settings. This study aimed to explore children's perceptions and understandings of how their lives are shaped (or not) by a long-term condition and its associated management.

DESIGN AND METHODS

A qualitative, participatory methodology using autodriven photoelicitation interviews (PEIs) with 45 purposively recruited children (6-12 years) with long-term conditions (e.g., hemophilia, arthritis, Crohn's disease), from England, New Zealand, and Australia was utilized. PEI facilitated the construction of inductively derived understandings of the children's experiences as the children had control over creating and then selecting which photographs to discuss with the researcher.

RESULTS

Interpretive thematic analysis of the interviews and content analysis of the photographs resulted in an overarching theme, "It's not who I am …" but it is part of me, and three subthemes: getting on with my life; the special value of family, friendship, support, and comfort; and things that get in the way of getting on. Across all ages and the three countries, the children actively projected their self-concept as "well" children and they strove, through their photographs and their accompanying explanations of their lives, to emphasize that they were "normal" children. They were active social agents who demonstrated their capacity to shape parts of their lives interdependently with their parents and the requirements of their condition.

PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS

Pediatric nurses should be aware of the importance that children with long-term conditions place on projecting and protecting their sense of being normal and ensure that when they engage with children that they take account of the children's understandings and efforts to live a life constrained but not limited by the condition.

Patient-reported Outcomes across Categories of Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis

OBJECTIVE

Although there is increasing reliance on patient-reported outcomes (PRO) for disease management, there is little known about the differences in PRO across juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) categories. The purpose of our study was to assess PRO across JIA categories, including pain, quality of life, and physical function, and to determine clinical factors associated with differences in these measures across categories.

METHODS

This was a longitudinal cohort study of patients with JIA at a tertiary care pediatric rheumatology clinic. Subjects, PRO, and clinical variables were identified by querying the electronic medical record. Mixed-effects regression assessed pain, quality of life, and function.

RESULTS

Subjects with enthesitis-related arthritis (ERA) and undifferentiated JIA had significantly more pain, poorer quality of life, and poorer physical function. The ERA and undifferentiated JIA categories, physician's global disease activity assessment, female sex, and nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drug use were significantly associated with more pain, poorer quality of life, and poorer function. In models limited to ERA, female sex and tender enthesis count were significant predictors of decreased function.

CONCLUSION

ERA and undifferentiated JIA categories had poorer PRO than other JIA categories. Further work is needed to address ways to improve PRO in children with JIA, with a special focus on children with ERA and undifferentiated JIA.