Upplevelser och hanteringsstrategier hos ungdomar med IBD. : en litteraturstudie

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to describe how adolescents aged 12-18 years with inflammatory bowel disease experience their illness and what coping strategies they use to manage their illness and improve their wellbeing. The method used was a descriptive literature study, and the result of the study included 15 scientific articles. Our results showed that IBD affected the adolescent’s everyday life and social life with friends, family and activities. The adolescents also reported that they experienced a feeling of vulnerability, altered body image and that they saw themselves as different from healthy subjects. Adolescents with IBD have been shown to use the same coping strategies that healthy adolescents are using, that is, confrontational, evasive, independent and optimistic coping. The avoidance coping is more prevalent in adolescents with IBD, as the use of such strategies is specific for IBD because of illness symptoms. There is a need for more research directed at young people with IBD, since previous research is based mostly on adults' experiences of illness.