Acceptance and well-being in adolescents and young adults with cystic fibrosis: a prospective study

Objective To prospectively investigate the role of acceptance in well-being in adolescents and young adults with cystic fibrosis (CF). Method A total of 40 adolescents and young adults with CF (ages 14-22 years) completed questionnaires assessing acceptance, anxiety and depressive symptoms, physical functioning, role functioning, emotional functioning, and social functioning. After 6 months, 28 of them completed the questionnaires on anxiety and depressive symptoms, physical functioning, role functioning, emotional functioning, and social functioning a second time. Results More acceptance (Time 1) was related to less depressive symptoms (Time 1 and 2), and to better role, emotional, and social functioning (Time 1). Conclusions Results indicate that accepting the limitations imposed by chronic disease and readjusting life goals may have a positive effect upon well-being in adolescents and young adults with CF. Further research is needed to clarify whether acceptance-based interventions are useful in promoting well-being in adolescents and young adults with CF

De rol van aanvaarding bij jongeren met mucoviscidose

There is a large variation in psychological functioning in adolescents with cystic fibrosis. Explaining this heterogeneity is a major challenge in research. This study explored the role of acceptance in accounting for psychological functioning. We expected that adolescents who reported more acceptance of their illness would be less anxious, depressed and disabled. Thirty-six adolescents completed a battery of questionnaires including the Illness Cognition Questionnaire, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Inventory and Functional Disability Inventory. Regression analyses showed that acceptance had a significant and unique contribution in explaining adolescents' anxiety, depression and disability, beyond the contribution of demographic variables and disease severity. Disease severity also had a unique contribution in explaining disability. The results of this study provide evidence for the important role of acceptance in psychological functioning in adolescents with cystic fibrosis. This is in line with studies in other chronic conditions such as chronic pain and chronic fatigue syndrome. Results are discussed in the context of acceptance-based therapies that might prove useful in promoting well-being in adolescents with cystic fibrosis

The role of acceptance in psychological functioning in adolescents with cystic fibrosis: A preliminary study

This study explored the role of acceptance in accounting for the heterogeneity in psychological functioning in adolescents suffering from cystic fibrosis. Thirty-four adolescents completed a battery of questionnaires assessing acceptance, anxiety, depression, and disability. Regression analyses revealed that acceptance had a significant and unique contribution in explaining adolescents' anxiety, depression, and disability beyond the effects of demographic variables and parameters of disease severity. Forced expiratory volume, a parameter of disease severity, had a unique contribution in explaining disability, but not in explaining anxiety and depression. Our results support the idea that accepting the limitations imposed by a chronic disease and readjusting life goals has a positive effect upon psychological functioning in adolescents with cystic fibrosis. Acceptance-based therapies might prove useful in promoting well-being in adolescents with cystic fibrosis

Spirometry-related pain and distress in adolescents and young adults with cystic fibrosis : the role of acceptance

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the occurrence of spirometry-related pain and distress in adolescents and young adults with cystic fibrosis (CF), and to investigate the role of acceptance of illness in spirometry-related pain and distress. METHODS: A total of 36 adolescents and young adults with CF (12 to 22 years of age) completed a questionnaire assessing acceptance of illness. Spirometry-related distress was assessed using self-report (ie, anxiety/worry about the procedure) and physiological outcomes (ie, heart rate and heart rate variability) before spirometry. Spirometry-related pain was assessed using self-report (ie, expected pain and pain-related thoughts). Self-reported distress and pain during spirometry were also assessed. RESULTS: Eighty-nine per cent of subjects reported distress before spirometry, 67% experienced distress during spirometry, 28% expected pain during spirometry and 22% actually experienced pain. Interestingly, partial correlations revealed that more acceptance was related to less expected pain and pain-related thoughts. Acceptance, however, was unrelated to distress, anxiety and pain during spirometry. DISCUSSION: The present study suggests that a non-negligible number of adolescents and young adults with CF experience pain and distress during spirometry. Furthermore, results indicate that acceptance may play a protective role in the more indirect consequences of CF such as expected pain and pain-related thoughts during medical procedures. Acceptance, however, was not related to distress before and during spirometry, nor to experienced pain. These findings contribute to the increasing evidence that acceptance may play a protective role in managing the consequences of living with CF