Ditte Roth Hulgaard1, Charlotte Ulrikka Rask2, Mette Bech Risor3, Gitte Dehlholm1. 1. Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Department of Clinical Research, University of Southern Denmark, Denmark. 2. Research Unit, Centre for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Central Denmark Region, Aarhus University Hospital, Denmark. 3. General Practice Research Unit, Department of Community Medicine, UiT, The Arctic University of Norway, Norway.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Functional disorders, defined as disorders with no clear medical explanation, are common and impose a significant burden on youths, their families, healthcare services and society as a whole. Currently, the literature describes resistance among patients and their families towards psychological symptom explanations and treatments. More knowledge about the thoughts and understandings of youths with functional disorders and their parents is needed. The aim of this study was to explore the illness perceptions of youths with severe functional disorders and their parents. METHODS: A qualitative interview study using interpretative phenomenological analyses. The study included 11 youths aged 11-15 years with functional disorders and their parents, where interviews were performed at the point of referral from a somatic to a psychiatric treatment setting. RESULTS: Analyses identified three main themes. Themes 1(Ascribing identity to the disorder) and 2 (Monocausal explanations) explore key elements of the participants' illness perceptions, and theme 3 (Mutable illness perceptions) explores how illness perceptions are influenced by experiences from healthcare encounters. CONCLUSIONS: The label 'functional disorder' was poorly integrated in the illness perceptions of the youths and their parents. Participants used a monocausal and typically physical explanation rather than a multicausal biopsychosocial explanation for their symptoms.
BACKGROUND: Functional disorders, defined as disorders with no clear medical explanation, are common and impose a significant burden on youths, their families, healthcare services and society as a whole. Currently, the literature describes resistance among patients and their families towards psychological symptom explanations and treatments. More knowledge about the thoughts and understandings of youths with functional disorders and their parents is needed. The aim of this study was to explore the illness perceptions of youths with severe functional disorders and their parents. METHODS: A qualitative interview study using interpretative phenomenological analyses. The study included 11 youths aged 11-15 years with functional disorders and their parents, where interviews were performed at the point of referral from a somatic to a psychiatric treatment setting. RESULTS: Analyses identified three main themes. Themes 1(Ascribing identity to the disorder) and 2 (Monocausal explanations) explore key elements of the participants' illness perceptions, and theme 3 (Mutable illness perceptions) explores how illness perceptions are influenced by experiences from healthcare encounters. CONCLUSIONS: The label 'functional disorder' was poorly integrated in the illness perceptions of the youths and their parents. Participants used a monocausal and typically physical explanation rather than a multicausal biopsychosocial explanation for their symptoms.
Entities:
Keywords:
Functional disorders; children and adolescents; family therapy; illness perceptions; medically unexplained symptoms; psychiatry; qualitative
Authors: Maude Ludot-Grégoire; Aurélie Harf; Nour Ibrahim; Médérick Merlo; Christine Hassler; Joanne Rietsch; Charlotte de Bucy; Hervé Lefèvre; Jordan Sibeoni; Marie Rose Moro Journal: Child Adolesc Psychiatry Ment Health Date: 2022-06-03 Impact factor: 7.494