Barriers and facilitators of chronic illness self-management among adolescents: a review and future directions

Disseminating a health information website to teens using a three-pronged approach with social media outreach

Objective

To disseminate iuveo.org, a new health information website, primarily to teens in the United States using a three-pronged approach of social media, in-person, and emails.

Methods

Dissemination methods included a combination of in-person, email, and social media campaigns starting in August 2022 to reach teens and stakeholders focused on teen health. Following the Social Marketing Theory framework, a social media campaign was implemented utilizing Instagram and X (formerly Twitter). Website analytics, including monthly usage of iuveo, was measured utilizing Google Analytics. The intrinsic analytics from X and Instagram were also tracked.

Results

From August 2022-July 2023, iuveo attracted 1338 unique users to the website. In the same time frame, 1085 accounts were reached on Instagram, and 14,367 impressions were received on X. Most website users (84.8%) were classified as 'direct' acquisition, meaning that they directly typed in the URL or clicked on a link, and 7.3% of users visited iuveo from a social media platform.

Conclusion

A three-pronged dissemination strategy is beneficial when disseminating a new health information website.

Innovation

Utilizing a three-pronged approach with a social media campaign based on Social Marketing Theory, a health information website was disseminated to youth in the United States.

Co-designing a website with and for youth, so they can better manage their health

Objective

To co-design a website aimed to empower youth to ask questions to encourage productive, meaningful conversations with their health care providers.

Methods

The research team recruited adolescent stakeholders (ages 11-17) through flyers distributed at local Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA) locations, clinics, and school nurses. Eleven adolescents who had at least one chronic medical condition were selected as members of the two youth advisory boards. Youth participated in five co-design meetings to give input on website content and refinement over a two-and-a-half-year period. The youth reviewed the website in various stages of development.

Results

Youth wanted a website with simple, straightforward language that would be understood by someone between the ages of 11-17 years with a reputable URL. The website content includes ADHD, asthma, vaping/smoking, diabetes, seizures, anxiety, panic disorder, depression, addiction, stimulants, bullying, eating disorders, and sexually transmitted infections. Youth wanted general background content, helpful resources, question prompt lists, and videos encouraging youth involvement in care.

Conclusions

A credible co-designed website with information on different health topics that contains question prompt lists and videos for utilization during health care visits has the potential to increase adolescent involvement in their care.

Innovation

This website is an innovative intervention aimed at informing and encouraging youth to be more actively involved in their care across a range of healthcare conditions.

Designing an mHealth Roadmap for the Journey to Self-Management: A Qualitative Study with Adolescents and Young Adults Living with Chronic Illness

OBJECTIVES

Adolescents and young adults (AYA) with chronic illnesses often struggle with illness self-management. The objective of this study is to understand how AYA with various chronic illnesses develop self-management skills and which mobile health (mHealth) strategies they believe could be helpful.

METHODS

Semi-structured interviews were conducted with patients, between 16 to 20 years old, living with at least one chronic illness (N = 19), between 2018 and 2019 in Los Angeles, CA. Three coders completed thematic coding to understand how AYA develop and maintain self-management skills, to inform the development of mHealth interventions appropriate across a variety of chronic conditions.

RESULTS

Results suggest that AYA develop self-management skills through several strategies, including (1) getting organized, (2) making it work for me and (3) keeping the right mentality. AYA described developing these strategies through: (1) receiving social support, (2) accessing helpful tools and technologies, and (3) going through a maturation process. They provided recommendations for mHealth intervention developers.

DISCUSSION

The results suggest that an appealing mHealth intervention could support AYA patients in proactively acquiring self-management skills and prevent having to rely on trial and error or uneven access to guidance and support. Interventions should be responsive to individual technology preferences and practices.

Self-Management Frameworks for Youth Living with Human Immunodeficiency Virus

HIV is now a chronic condition that can be managed. Adolescents and emerging adults represent a large proportion of new diagnoses, but struggle with many aspects of HIV-related self-management. Self-management of HIV is critical to maintaining health and involves retention in HIV care, medication adherence to achieve viral suppression, managing substance use, and sexual and general health-related behaviors. This article describes theoretic frameworks for HIV self-management as adapted for youth and reviews self-management interventions developed to improve health outcomes in youth living with HIV identified from a recent systematic review.

A "pretty normal" life: a qualitative study exploring young people's experience of life with bronchiectasis

PURPOSE

Bronchiectasis is a chronic respiratory disease that impacts significantly on quality of life for those who have it. There is a paucity of literature exploring the perspectives of children and young people. The aim of this study was to examine the day-to-day life experience of a group of young people with bronchiectasis.

METHOD

A qualitative study using semi-structured interviews explored fifteen young people's perspectives of life with bronchiectasis. Key themes were identified using an inductive iterative approach through constant comparative analysis guided by Thorne's interpretive description.

RESULTS

Life with bronchiectasis was conceptualized by participants as "Pretty Normal". This consisted of two co-existing life views which represented how young people balanced the ups and downs of adolescence while learning to accommodate the demands of living with bronchiectasis. Three key thematic elements "sore and tired", 'life interrupted and "looking after self", influenced and challenged these two views of life.

CONCLUSIONS

Young people with bronchiectasis portray life as being the same as their peers. Despite this, they recognized that the symptoms, interruptions, and self-management responsibilities led them to find ways of coping and integrating their experience into a new and modified view of normal.

All in the Family: Child and Adolescent Weight Loss Surgery in the Context of Parental Weight Loss Surgery

Background: Bariatric surgery is the most effective current treatment option for patients with severe obesity. More children and adolescents are having surgery, many whose parents have also had surgery. The current study examines whether parental surgery status moderates the association between perceived social support, emotional eating, food addiction and weight loss following surgery, with those whose parents have had surgery evidencing a stronger relationship between the psychosocial factors and weight loss as compared to their peers. Methods: Participants were 228 children and adolescents undergoing sleeve gastrectomy between 2014 and 2019 at one institution. Children and adolescents completed self-report measures of perceived family social support, emotional eating, and food addiction at their pre-surgical psychological evaluation. Change in body mass index (BMI) from pre-surgery to 3, 6, and 12 months post-surgery was assessed at follow-up clinic visits. Parents reported their surgical status as having had surgery or not. Results: There were no differences in perceived family support, emotional eating, or food addiction symptoms between those whose parents had bariatric surgery and those whose parents did not. There were some moderating effects of parent surgery status on the relationship between social support, emotional eating/food addiction, and weight loss following surgery. Specifically, at 3 months post-surgery, higher change in BMI was associated with lower perceived family support only in those whose parents had not had surgery. More pre-surgical food addiction symptoms were associated with greater weight loss at 3 months for those whose parents had not had surgery, whereas this finding was true only for those whose parents had surgery at 12 months post-surgery. Conclusions: Children and adolescents whose parents have had bariatric surgery may have unique associations of psychosocial factors and weight loss. More research is needed to determine mechanisms of these relationships.

Effectiveness of self-management programmes for adolescents with a chronic illness: A systematic review

AIM

To assess what is known about the effectiveness of face-to-face self-management programmes designed specifically for adolescents (10-19 years) with a chronic illness.

DESIGN

A systematic review and synthesis without meta-analysis (SWiM).

DATA SOURCES

Six international web-based reference libraries were searched with a date range of 1946 to July 2020.

REVIEW METHOD

The PRISMA statement and SWiM guideline were used for reporting the methods and results. The PICO format was used to develop a focused clinical question and the eligibility criteria of our review. Quality assessment of the included studies was performed using the Cochrane Effective Practice Organisation of Care criteria.

RESULTS

Eight studies (four randomized controlled trials and four descriptive designs) met the inclusion criteria and were published between 2003 and 2017. Results of the review: Three studies demonstrated measures of illness control which showed initial improvements in adherence as a result of the interventions but failed to demonstrate sustained adherence over time. Booster sessions were identified as an effective strategy to improve adherence, but were often omitted.

CONCLUSIONS

There is a limited body of evidence on the effectiveness of self-management programmes specifically developed for adolescents with a chronic illness, an important but under researched area. Future research lies in the development of more rigorous studies that focus on quantitative outcome measures for evaluating the effectiveness of self-management programmes to guide the development of future programmes.

IMPACT

It is crucial for adolescents with a chronic illness to develop independence and the self-management skills required to effectively manage their chronic condition as they transition to adulthood. On current evidence, in planning future self-management interventions should include booster sessions. Nurses with additional training and experience have a key role in supporting adolescents with a chronic illness to develop self-management skills as they assume responsibility for their own healthcare.

Participation in healthcare behavior by adolescents with epilepsy and factors that influence it during the transition period: A cross-sectional study in China

PURPOSE

Given the importance of adolescents' participation in the care of their chronic diseases during their transitional period in the healthcare system, the present study investigated the degree of participation in healthcare behavior by Chinese adolescents with chronic epilepsy and identified factors that should be addressed by health interventions.

METHODS

The study used a convenience sample of 1238 adolescent patients with epilepsy, who were hospitalized in 17 tertiary A-level children or maternal and child specialty hospitals in China between January 2017 and March 2020. Several scales were used to measure their degree of participation in healthcare behavior and the factors that influence it. Data collection was conducted after uniform training of the investigators. The adolescents who met the inclusion and exclusion criteria could scan the QR code of the questionnaire via a mobile phone.

RESULTS

The age of the participants ranged from 12.2 to 17.8 years (mean 14.2 years), and the sample had a male-to-female ratio of 1.25:1. The patients' average total score of participation in healthcare behavior was 125.58 (SD = 12.25), which was lower than the norm for China. Their scores on the six dimensions of participation were highest for information interaction, followed in descending order by medical decision-making, treatment and care, appeal, diagnosis and treatment decision-making, and questioning supervision. Multiple linear regression found significant associations between health-care participation and five personal and disease variables (gender, age, course of disease, number of comorbid diseases, type of family structure), self-efficacy, and coping styles (cognitive-palliative and acceptance), which explained 52.1% of the variance in patients' total scores on participating in healthcare behavior.

CONCLUSIONS

The participation of young Chinese patients with epilepsy in transitional healthcare behavior needs to be improved. Participation was positively associated with being female, a longer course of disease, fewer comorbidities, and living in a nuclear family. Patients who used cognitive-palliative and acceptance coping styles and those who had higher self-efficacy also had significantly higher levels of participation in healthcare behavior. The study provides useful reference points for adolescents with chronic disease to participate in healthcare programs, in order to achieve a smooth transition from childhood to adulthood.

Octopus Watch Fosters Family Resilience by Enhancing Occupational Engagement for Children with Spina Bifida and/or Hydrocephalus: Pilot Study

BACKGROUND

Children with spina bifida and/or hydrocephalus (SB&/H) often experience difficulties with activities of daily living (ADLs) due to impaired executive functioning, increasing sedentary behaviours. The HeyJoy Octopus watch, a child-friendly icon-based smartwatch could be used as an enabler to promote purposeful ADLs (i.e., goal-orientated ADLs).

OBJECTIVE

to investigate the effectiveness of the Octopus watch in promoting purposeful ADLs for children living with SB&/H (<8 years).

METHODS

Mixed-methods engaging parents and children in four phases: (1) Administered demographic questionnaire, semi-structured interview, childhood executive functioning inventory (CHEXI) and the Canadian occupational performance measure (COPM); focus group one introducing the study, information pack using smartwatch and photovoice data collection methods. (2) Measured baseline movement for four days with smartwatch without using functions. (3) Measured activity for 16-days while using the smartwatch. (4) Re-administered assessments and conducted a second focus group based on photovoice narratives.

RESULTS

movement data recorded for four participants, three of four showed mean activity increase (36%). N-of-1 analyses found one participant showed clear improvement (p = 0.021, r² = 0.28). Mean inhibition decreased by 16.4%, and mean change in COPM performance and satisfaction scores were 2.1 and 2.4, respectively. The photovoice narrative focus group supports findings evidenced with improved daily routines.

CONCLUSIONS

The Octopus watch is an innovative early intervention that can promote purposeful ADLs, fostering family resilience by enhancing occupational engagement. Further research is required.

Longitudinal associations between neuropsychological functioning and medical responsibility in youth with spina bifida: The moderational role of parenting behaviors

For youth with spina bifida (SB), the transfer of medical responsibilities from parent- to self-management is an important component of autonomy development. Youth with SB are at risk for neurocognitive impairments with inattention and executive dysfunction, which may impact their ability to take responsibility for medical tasks. However, adaptive parenting may buffer against the negative impact of executive/attentional dysfunction on levels of medical responsibility. Thus, this study examined the moderating roles of parenting behaviors and child age on the longitudinal associations between neuropsychological functioning and medical responsibility in youth with SB. Participants were recruited as part of a larger, longitudinal study. Youth with SB (N = 89, Mage = 11.10 years) completed a neuropsychological battery of executive functioning and attention measures at Time 1 (T1). Parents reported on youth's executive functioning/attention skills at T1, and child medical responsibility two years later at Time 2 (T2). Observational methods were used to assess parenting behaviors (warmth, behavioral and psychological control) at T1. Attention and cognitive shifting skills at T1 were positively related to child medical responsibility at T2. Two-way interactions between planning/organizing skills and paternal acceptance, and planning/organizing skills and paternal psychological control, were found. A three-way interaction between cognitive shifting skills, maternal acceptance, and child age was found. When conceptualizing risk factors for low medical responsibility in youth with SB, it is important to consider the family context beyond individual, cognitive factors. The results are discussed within the wider context of social-ecological models of medical responsibility.

Using collaborative logic analysis evaluation to test the program theory of an intensive interdisciplinary pain treatment for youth with pain‐related disability

Intensive interdisciplinary pain treatment (IIPT) involves multiple stakeholders. Mapping the program components to its anticipated outcomes (ie, its theory) can be difficult and requires stakeholder engagement. Evidence is lacking, however, on how best to engage them. Logic analysis, a theory‐based evaluation, that tests the coherence of a program theory using scientific evidence and experiential knowledge may hold some promise. Its use is rare in pediatric pain interventions, and few methodological details are available. This article provides a description of a collaborative logic analysis methodology used to test the theoretical plausibility of an IIPT designed for youth with pain‐related disability. A 3‐step direct logic analysis process was used. A 13‐member expert panel, composed of clinicians, teachers, managers, youth with pain‐related disability, and their parents, were engaged in each step. First, a logic model was constructed through document analysis, expert panel surveys, and focus‐group discussions. Then, a scoping review, focused on pediatric self‐management, building self‐efficacy, and fostering participation, helped create a conceptual framework. An examination of the logic model against the conceptual framework by the expert panel followed, and recommendations were formulated. Overall, the collaborative logic analysis process helped raiseawareness of clinicians’ assumptions about the program causal mechanisms, identified program components most valued by youth and their parents, recognized the program features supported by scientific and experiential knowledge, detected gaps, and highlighted emerging trends. In addition to providing a consumer‐focused program evaluation option, collaborative logic analysis methodology holds promise as a strategy to engage stakeholders and to translate pediatric pain rehabilitation evaluation research knowledge to key stakeholders.

A Web-Based Intervention for Youth With Physical Disabilities: Comparing the Role of Mentors in 12- and 4-Week Formats

BACKGROUND

Youths with physical disabilities face many barriers in society, including social exclusion, stigma, and difficulties finding employment. Electronic mentoring (e-mentoring) offers a promising opportunity for youths with disabilities and has the potential to improve their inclusion while enhancing career outcomes. However, little is known about the role of mentors in a Web-based e-mentoring format to improve employment outcomes.

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to explore the role of mentors in engaging youths in an e-mentoring intervention and to compare and contrast mentors' engagement strategies within a 12- and 4-week format.

METHODS

This paper drew on a pilot feasibility study, which is a group, Web-based employment readiness intervention involving a discussion forum for youths with physical disabilities. Our intervention involved having trained youth mentors (ie, near-peers who also had a disability) lead Web-based discussion forums while offering peer support and resources, which involved 12 modules completed over both a 12- or 4-week format. We used a mixed method approach including qualitative data (mentor interviews and discussion forum data) and quantitative data (pre-post survey data) comparison.

RESULTS

A total of 24 youths participated across 3 e-mentoring intervention groups: 9 in the 12-week format (mean age 17.7 years [SD 1.7]) and 15 in the 4-week format (mean age 19.5 years [SD 2.6]), led by 3 trained youth mentors with disabilities, 2 males and 1 female (mean age 22 years [SD 2.64]). Our findings revealed that mentors engaged youths in the e-mentoring program by providing informational, emotional, and tangible support. We noted more instances of mentors providing advice, empathy, and encouragement in the 12-week format compared with the 4-week format. We also found fewer examples of providing advice, developing a rapport, and social support from mentors in the 4-week format. Our findings revealed no significant differences between the 2 groups regarding time spent in the forum, number of logins, number of posts, and self-rated engagement.

CONCLUSIONS

Mentors in the 12-week and 4-week format engaged participants differently in providing informational and emotional support, although there were no differences in tangible support provided. Mentors reported that the 12-week format was too long and lacked interaction between participants, whereas the 4-week format felt rushed and had fewer detailed responses from mentees.

INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID)

RR2-10.2196/resprot.8034.

Health Assessment of Chinese Adolescents with Epilepsy in the Preparatory Phase of Transition Process from Pediatric to Adulthood:A Single-Center Study Using the Omaha System

OBJECTIVE

Epilepsy is one of the most common childhood-onset neurological disorder characterized by both seizures and the related comorbidities. The preparatory phase in transition refers to a dynamic process of identifying and resolving health issues to ensure seamless continuing care from childhood to adulthood. This study identifies the health issues of the preparatory phase in transition from children to adulthood using the Omaha System.

METHODS

This prospective, single-center study enrolled 86 adolescents with epilepsy in China. The Problem Classification Scheme and Problem Rating Scale for Outcomes of Omaha System were used to evaluate transition-induced health problems.

RESULTS

These health problems cover all four domains of the problem classification scheme of the Omaha System, and the specific distribution is related to the type of epilepsy. The results of the four-category classification evaluation showed that the most common health problem is health-related behavioral problems (46.1%), followed by psychosocial problems (23.0%), physiological problems (20.6%), and environmental problems (10.3%). The distribution of these health problems in generalized seizures, focal seizures, and generalized-focal seizures are significantly different (P < 0.01). The results of the outcome rating scale showed that 83.4% of the children had minimal knowledge, 84.2% had inconsistently appropriate behaviors, and 86.7% had moderate symptoms.

CONCLUSIONS

The health problems of patients with epilepsy during the preparatory phase of transition process from pediatric to adulthood should be emphasized. Identification of health problems though the Omaha System can improve management for adolescents with epilepsy, including prevention, nursing care, social support, and therapeutic interventions.

A 4-Week Electronic-Mentoring Employment Intervention for Youth With Physical Disabilities: Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial

BACKGROUND

Youth with disabilities are more likely to live in poverty and be unemployed compared with youth without disabilities. Such trends are often a result of a lack of support, inaccessible jobs, environmental barriers, and discriminatory attitudes toward people with disabilities. Youth with disabilities also face barriers in accessing vocational preparation programs. One encouraging way that could help address challenges that youth encounter is by providing support through electronic mentoring (e-mentoring).

OBJECTIVE

The objective of this study was to assess the feasibility of a 4-week Web-based peer e-mentoring employment intervention for youth with physical disabilities.

METHODS

We conducted a pilot randomized controlled trial (RCT) to evaluate our intervention, Empowering youth towards employment. Participants included youth aged 15 to 25 years who were randomly assigned to an experimental (mentored) or control (nonmentored) group. Our intervention involved having trained youth mentors (ie, near peers who also had a disability) lead Web-based discussion forums while offering peer support and resources, which involved 12 modules (3 topics a week for 4 weeks). Primary outcomes focused on implementation (ie, feasibility and acceptability), whereas secondary outcomes focused on effectiveness (ie, measures of self-determination, career maturity, and social support).

RESULTS

A total of 28 youth (mean age 19.62, SD 3.53; 14/28, 50% female) completed the RCT in 3 intervention groups and 2 control groups (intervention n=18, control n=10). Participants reported satisfaction with the program and that it was feasible and acceptable. Youth's mean engagement level with the program was 6.44 (SD 2.33) for the experimental group and 5.56 (SD 3.53) for controls. Participants in the intervention group did not demonstrate any significant improvements in social support, career maturity, or self-determination compared with those in the control group. No adverse events were reported.

CONCLUSIONS

The Empowering youth towards employment e-mentoring intervention needs further testing with a larger sample and different length of formats to understand how it may have an impact on employment outcomes for youth with disabilities.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02522507; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02522507 (Archived by WebCite at http://www.webcitation.org/77a3T4qrE).

How Do Youth with Cystic Fibrosis Perceive Their Readiness to Transition to Adult Healthcare Compared to Their Caregivers' Views?

PURPOSE

To describe how perceived stages of change for self-care management skills varies by age in youth with cystic fibrosis in preparation for transition to adult healthcare, to compare caregiver perception of youth readiness for self-care, and age/frequency of transition discussion with provider.

DESIGN AND METHODS

The Transition Readiness Assessment Questionnaire and a modified version (TRAQ-C) for caregivers were used for data collection. Descriptive statistics, simple linear regression, and t-tests were employed.

RESULTS

Regression equations suggest that age predicts youth perception of self-care management skill in all five domains on the TRAQ (p ≤ .009). A paired t-test compared the overall TRAQ and TRAQ-C mean scores between dyads. Youth rated themselves significantly higher in perception of self-care skill management (m = 3.187, sd = 0.769) than caregivers (m = 2.490, sd = 0.788; t = 7.408, df = 51, p < .001). Sixteen was the average age of transition discussion for both youth and caregiver. Reported frequency of discussion varied considerably.

CONCLUSIONS

Although increasing age predicts perception of self-care management, many youth age 18-22 were still only contemplating or starting to learn skills. Skill level perceptions between youth and caregiver differed, but scores from all self-care management domains followed a similar trend. Discussions with providers began later than guidelines recommend and were often not recognized as such by youth.

PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS

Results underscore the importance of beginning transition discussion and skill evaluation in youth with cystic fibrosis at an early age, incorporating caregivers' perception in the process.

Perceptions of Health Care Professionals on the Effects of Residential Summer Camp in their Patients

PURPOSE

A growing body of literature exists regarding medical specialty camps for children. However, very little of the research focuses on the perspectives of healthcare providers. This study explored perceptions of pediatric healthcare providers on a medical specialty camp for children.

DESIGN AND METHODS

Interviews with five volunteer physicians and five nurses were conducted and analyzed using inductive content analysis.

RESULTS

Results showed that healthcare providers perceived camp to be a positive influence on campers' normalization and healthcare ownership, and to strengthen patient-provider relationships. Providers contextualized their assertions by discussing the settings of camp and of patients. However, providers also identified multiple barriers perceived as limiting a camp experience's ability to create lasting changes in patients' attitudes or behaviors.

CONCLUSIONS

While healthcare providers in this study perceived camp as being a positive opportunity for patients, the potential for long-lasting effects was seen to be hindered by factors external to the camp and changes in patients' attitudes or behaviors can be difficult to ascribe to the camp experience.

PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS

Healthcare providers can reinforce and extend positive health behavior messages from camp at follow-up appointments. Adding inquiries about camp attendance and experiences to patients' visits can provide healthcare providers with additional insights about patients. Health outcomes before and after camp could be measured to assess change. Camps can send home patient protocols on successes and challenges.

Youth and young adults with acquired brain injury transition towards work-related roles: a qualitative study

PURPOSE

The purpose of this research was to explore the experiences of youth and young adults with acquired brain injury as they transition towards work-related roles. Little is known about employment experiences among this age group. Understanding their perspectives can inform programs and clinical practice.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A descriptive qualitative design, including semi-structured interviews with 14 participants (8 females; 6 males) was used. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and analyzed using an open-coding, thematic approach.

RESULTS

Three major themes emerged related to the experience of work-related roles: (1) getting to know the new me; (2) navigating support systems; and (3) taking control of my experience. Some participants used coping strategies to acquire and/or maintain work-related roles, while others felt limited by their condition.

CONCLUSIONS

A variety of work-related roles, people, and environments directly and indirectly influenced the work-related transition of youth and young adults with acquired brain injury. Individuals expressed the importance of acquired brain injury awareness in informing others about their impairments. In fact, a lack of acquired brain injury awareness was often a main reason for receiving less than adequate support and accommodations. Without an understanding of acquired brain injury, people in the lives of these individuals were unable to perceive the legitimacy of acquired brain injury-related impairments. Implications for rehabilitation The purpose of this study is to understand the experiences of youth and young adults with acquired brain injury as they transition into work-related roles. Using these experiences as a guideline can promote acquired brain injury awareness, and contribute to how current interventions are designed and delivered. Clinicians should ensure that youth and young adults with acquired brain injury have access to the resources they need to maximize their independence. Healthcare professionals can play a pivotal role in relaying important acquired brain injury-related education, implementing suitable treatment plans, and providing them with effective tips to help them through their transition. A healthy transition to work-related roles should include ample social support and communication, acquired brain injury-related information that informs the community of acquired brain injury impairments, needs, and recovery trajectory, as well as adequate and consistent coordination within and between the person and the environment.

"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.

A randomized control trial of an asthma self-management program for adolescents in Taiwan: A study protocol

Uncontrolled asthma in adolescents can be explained by developmental changes and lack of priority for self-care activities. Limited reports on asthma self-management programs for adolescents to enhance prevention behaviors in Taiwan were found. The protocol paper presents a two-armed, randomized controlled trial aiming to test the effectiveness of a newly developed self-management program for 112 adolescents with asthma in Taiwan. The primary outcome is asthma self-efficacy. Data will be collected at baseline and the week 4. The findings of this study will determine the extent to which a self-management program for adolescents with asthma in Taiwan enhances asthma management self-efficacy, self-management activities in asthma prevention and management, and achievement of well-controlled asthma.

Trial Registration No: ACTRN12613001294741.

Barriers and facilitators to asthma self-management in adolescents: A systematic review of qualitative and quantitative studies

BACKGROUND

Many adolescents have poor asthma control and impaired quality of life despite the availability of modern pharmacotherapy. Research suggests that poor adherence to treatment and limited engagement in self-management could be contributing factors.

OBJECTIVE

To conduct a systematic review of the barriers and facilitators to self-management of asthma reported by adolescents using a narrative synthesis approach to integrate the findings.

DESIGN

MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, and PsycINFO were searched for all types of study design. Full papers were retrieved for study abstracts that included data from participants aged 12-18 years referring to barriers or facilitators of asthma self-management behaviors.

RESULTS

Sixteen studies (5 quantitative and 11 qualitative) underwent data extraction, quality appraisal, and thematic analysis. Six key themes were generated that encompassed barriers and/or facilitators to self-management of asthma in adolescents: Knowledge, Lifestyle, Beliefs and Attitudes, Relationships, Intrapersonal Characteristics, and Communication.

CONCLUSIONS

There is a pressing need to prepare adolescents for self-management, using age-appropriate strategies that draw on the evidence we have synthesized. Current clinical practice should focus on ensuring adolescents have the correct knowledge, beliefs, and positive attitude to self-manage their illness. This needs to be delivered in a supportive environment that facilitates two-way communication, fosters adolescents' self-efficacy to manage their disease, and considers the wider social influences that impinge on self-management. Pediatr Pulmonol. 2017;52:430-442. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Parent and Clinician Preferences for an Asthma App to Promote Adolescent Self-Management: A Formative Study

BACKGROUND

Most youth asthma apps are not designed with parent and clinician use in mind, and rarely is the app development process informed by parent or clinician input.

OBJECTIVE

This study was conducted to generate formative data on the use, attitudes, and preferences for asthma mHealth app features among parents and clinicians, the important stakeholders who support adolescents with asthma and promote adolescent self-management skills.

METHODS

We conducted a mixed-methods study from 2013 to 2014 employing a user-centered design philosophy to acquire feedback from a convenience sample of 20 parents and 6 clinicians. Participants were given an iPod Touch and asked to evaluate 10 features on 2 existing asthma apps. Participant experiences using the apps were collected from questionnaires and a thematic analysis of audio-recorded and transcribed (verbatim) interviews using MAXQDA. Descriptive statistics were calculated to characterize the study sample and app feature feedback. Independent samples t tests were performed to compare parent and clinician ratings of app feature usefulness (ratings: 1=not at all useful to 5=very useful).

RESULTS

All parents were female (n=20), 45% were black, 20% had an income ≥US $50,000, and 45% had a bachelor's degree or higher education. The clinician sample included 2 nurses and 4 physicians with a mean practice time of 13 years. Three main themes provided an understanding of how participants perceived their roles and use of asthma app features to support adolescent asthma self-management: monitoring and supervision, education, and communication/information sharing. Parents rated the doctor report feature highest, and clinicians rated the doctor appointment reminder highest of all evaluated app features on usefulness. The peak flow monitoring feature was the lowest ranked feature by both parents and clinicians. Parents reported higher usefulness for the doctor report (t(10)=2.7, P<.02), diary (t(10)=2.7, P<.03), and self-check quiz (t(14)=2.5, P<.02) features than clinicians. Specific participant suggestions for app enhancements (eg, a tutorial showing correct inhaler use, refill reminders, pop-up messages tied to a medication log, evidence-based management steps) were also provided.

CONCLUSIONS

Parent and clinician evaluations and recommendations can play an important role in the development of an asthma app designed to help support youth asthma management. Two-way asthma care communication between families and clinicians and components involving families and clinicians that support adolescent self-management should be incorporated into adolescent asthma apps.

Transitioning adolescent and young adults with chronic disease and/or disabilities from paediatric to adult care services - an integrative review

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

This paper aims to provide an updated comprehensive review of the research-based evidence related to the transitions of care process for adolescents and young adults with chronic illness/disabilities since 2010.

BACKGROUND

Transitioning adolescent and young adults with chronic disease and/or disabilities to adult care services is a complex process, which requires coordination and continuity of health care. The quality of the transition process not only impacts on special health care needs of the patients, but also their psychosocial development. Inconsistent evidence was found regarding the process of transitioning adolescent and young adults.

DESIGN

An integrative review was conducted using a five-stage process: problem identification, literature search, data evaluation, data analysis and presentation.

METHODS

A search was carried out using the EBSCOhost, Embase, MEDLINE, PsycINFO, and AustHealth, from 2010 to 31 October 2014. The key search terms were (adolescent or young adult) AND (chronic disease or long-term illness/conditions or disability) AND (transition to adult care or continuity of patient care or transfer or transition).

RESULTS

A total of 5719 records were initially identified. After applying the inclusion criteria a final 61 studies were included. Six main categories derived from the data synthesis process are Timing of transition; Perceptions of the transition; Preparation for the transition; Patients' outcomes post-transition; Barriers to the transition; and Facilitating factors to the transition. A further 15 subcategories also surfaced.

CONCLUSIONS

In the last five years, there has been improvement in health outcomes of adolescent and young adults post-transition by applying a structured multidisciplinary transition programme, especially for patients with cystic fibrosis and diabetes. However, overall patients' outcomes after being transited to adult health care services, if recorded, have remained poor both physically and psychosocially. An accurate tracking mechanism needs to be established by stakeholders as a formal channel to monitor patients' outcomes post- transition.

Screen-based behaviour in school-aged children with long-term illness

Background

Evidence is lacking on the screen-based behaviour of adolescents with a chronic condition. The aim of our study was to analyse differences in screen-based behaviour of adolescents by long-term illness, asthma and learning disabilities.

Methods

We used data from the cross-sectional Health Behaviour of School-aged Children study collected in 2014 among Slovak adolescents (age 13 to 15 years old, N = 2682, 49.7 % boys). We analysed the associations between screen-based behaviour and long-term illness, asthma and learning disabilities using logistic regression models adjusted for gender.

Results

We found no associations between screen-based behaviour and long-term illness, except that children with asthma had a 1.60-times higher odds of excessively playing computer games than healthy children (95 % confidence interval of odds ratio (CI): 1.11–2.30). Children with learning disabilities had 1.71-times higher odds of risky use of the Internet (95 % CI: 1.19–2.45).

Conclusion

Adolescents with a long-term illness or with a chronic condition or a learning disability do not differ from their peers in screen-based activities. Exceptions are children with asthma and children with learning disabilities, who reported more risky screen-based behaviour.

Transition to Self-Management after Pediatric Heart Transplant

Context

Little is known about adolescent transition to self-management after heart transplant. This gap in knowledge is critically important because the consequences of poor self-management are costly and life-threatening, often resulting in nonadherence, rejection, repeated hospitalizations, and poor quality of life.

Objective

To explore how adolescents and parents perceive their roles in self-management, and how adolescents integrate self-management into their daily lives and navigate the transition from parent-dominated to self-management.

Design

Qualitative descriptive design, using online focus groups.

Setting

Online focus groups using itracks, an online qualitative software program.

Participants

A purposive sample of 4 adolescents, 13 to 21 years old, who were at least 6 months posttransplant, and of 6 parents of adolescent heart transplant recipients.

Results

Several parallel themes emerged from the parent and adolescent online focus groups. Managing medications was the predominant theme for both parents and adolescents. For the remaining themes, parents and adolescents expressed similar ideas that were categorized into parallel themes, which included staying on top of things/becoming independent, letting them be normal/being normal, and worries and stressors.

Conclusions

The transition to self-management after heart transplant was a clear goal for both parents and adolescents. The transition is a shared responsibility between parents and adolescents with a gradual shift from parent-directed to self-management. The process of transition was not linear or smooth, and in several instances, parents described efforts to transfer responsibility to the adolescent only to take it back when complications arose. Additional research with a larger sample is needed in order to fully understand adolescent heart transplant recipients' transition to self-management.

A qualitative synthesis of adolescents' experiences of living with spina bifida

In this article, I explore the experiences and perspectives of youth living with spina bifida, the second most common congenital condition in North America, to inform the development of health programs. I undertook a thematic metasynthesis to integrate qualitative evidence across studies examining the experiences of youth with spina bifida. I used 10 electronic databases to search for and review 4,051 abstracts, and identified 12 articles meeting the inclusion criteria. I examined those articles using a constant comparative approach, drawing on concepts of normalcy and biographical disruption to inform understanding of three emergent themes: (a) the medical management of spina bifida; (b) the importance of peer and family relationships (i.e., social support, belonging, and challenges in peer connections); and (c) identity and self-concept (i.e., normalization). This metasynthesis provides insight for youth, parents, and clinicians on areas of life in which youth could use further support.

A systematic review of self-management interventions for children and youth with physical disabilities

PURPOSE

Evidence shows that effective self-management behaviors have the potential to improve health outcomes, quality of life, self-efficacy and reduce morbidity, emergency visits and costs of care. A better understanding of self-management interventions (i.e. programs that help with managing symptoms, treatment, physical and psychological consequences) is needed to achieve a positive impact on health because most children with a disability now live well into adulthood.

METHOD

A systematic review of self-management interventions for school age youth with physical disabilities was undertaken to assess their effectiveness. Comprehensive electronic searches using international web-based reference libraries were conducted for peer-reviewed and gray literature published between 1980 and January 2012. Eligible studies examined the effectiveness of self-management interventions for children and youth between 6 and 18 years of age with congenital or acquired physical disabilities. Studies needed to include a comparison group (e.g. single group pre/post-test design) and at least one quantifiable health-related outcome.

RESULTS

Of the 2184 studies identified, six met the inclusion criteria; two involved youth with spina bifida and four with juvenile arthritis. The majority of the interventions ran several sessions for at least 3 months by a trained interventionist or clinician, had one-to-one sessions and meetings, homework activities and parental involvement. Although outcomes varied between the studies, all of the interventions reported at least one significant improvement in either overall self-management skills or a specific health behavior.

CONCLUSIONS

While self-management interventions have the potential to improve health behaviors, there were relatively few rigorously designed studies identified. More studies are needed to document the outcomes of self-management interventions, especially their most effective characteristics for children and youth with physical disabilities. Implications for Rehabilitation There is some evidence to suggest that self-management interventions for children and youth with spina bifida and arthritis can improve self-management behaviors and health outcomes. Parents' involvement should be considered in encouraging self-management behaviors at different stages of their child's development. Much work is needed to explore the longer term implications of self-management interventions for youth with physical disabilities as well as the impact on health care utilization.

Becoming men: Gender, disability, and transitioning to adulthood

Children and youth with progressive conditions are living longer, and there is increased interest in designing programs that will assist them with “transitioning” to adulthood. Almost none of the transitions research to date, however, has attended to the experiences of disabled boys in “becoming men,” nor has there been critical conceptual work problematizing notions of “normal” adulthood or theorizing the complex, diverse, and gendered experiences of transitioning. In this Canadian study, we investigated the intersectionality of gender, disability, and emerging adulthood with 15 young men with Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Participants created audio diaries and photographs that were explored in in-depth interviews. Using a Bourdieusian lens and Arthur Frank’s notion of the narrative habitus, we examined how participants re/negotiated identities in everyday practices. Our analysis suggested that disability, masculinities, and generational (life stage) identities intersected through “narratives of nondifference,” wherein participants worked to establish identities as typical “guys.” Within limited fields of school and work, participants distanced themselves from the label of “disabled” and discussed their successes and challenges in terms of normative developmental trajectories. We suggest that the pursuit of “normal” is reproduced and reinforced in health and social programs and closes off other narratives and possibilities.