Family‐level coping in juvenile rheumatoid arthritis: Assessing the utility of a quantitative family interview
Objective To explore the viability of a quantitative family interview to describe family‐level coping strategies used to deal with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (JRA)‐related stressors for early and late adolescents. Method A structured interview protocol with 30 adolescents with JRA and family memb...
Saved in:
Published in | Arthritis and rheumatism Vol. 12; no. 5; pp. 314 - 324 |
---|---|
Main Authors | , , |
Format | Journal Article |
Language | English |
Published |
New York
John Wiley & Sons, Inc
01.10.1999
|
Subjects | |
Online Access | Get full text |
Cover
Loading…
Summary: | Objective
To explore the viability of a quantitative family interview to describe
family‐level coping strategies used to deal with juvenile rheumatoid
arthritis (JRA)‐related stressors for early and late adolescents.
Method
A structured interview protocol with 30 adolescents with JRA and family
members assessed ways JRA disrupts or changes family functioning.
Emotional reactions, sequential phases of family response, and
treatment adherence were discussed. Interviews were coded for
family‐level coping. To assess adjustment, family members completed the
Youth Self Report and the Family Environment Scale. The pediatric
rheumatologist provided medical information.
Results
The family interview produced both quantitative and qualitative data.
Families reported multiple JRA‐related stressors (mean 6.6). For many
adolescents, treatment adherence was problematic. Families used all 3
types of coping strategies (appraisal‐, problem‐, and emotion‐focused)
to varying degrees. Problem‐focused approaches were most commonly used
and included seeking support (used by 73% of families), self‐reliance
(70%), and family coordination (70%) for dealing with specific
problems, and seeking information about JRA (67%). Emotion‐focused
approaches, such as impulsive outbursts and diminished awareness of
others' feelings, were associated with problematic adjustment. Few
differences were found between the families of early and late
adolescents.
Conclusion
The quantitative family interview has the potential to be a useful tool
in documenting JRA‐related stressors, family‐level coping processes,
and how family‐level coping is associated with treatment adherence and
psychosocial adjustment. |
---|---|
ISSN: | 0004-3591 0893-7524 1529-0131 |
DOI: | 10.1002/1529-0131(199910)12:5<314::AID-ART2>3.0.CO;2-V |