Coping with Chronic Illness

The opening chapter of the collection explores the impact of chronic illness on families, including coping strategies, pain management, and social context. The subsequent chapters examine the relationship between sociodemographic and clinical variables, psychological morbidity, self-efficacy for coping, illness perceptions, and quality of life in pediatric cancer patients and adults with diabetes. The final chapter discusses options for chronic illness management in aged care facilities and the importance of illness prevention and positive lifestyle management programs in early life.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 214 pages
Publication date: 10 December 2019
Publisher: Nova Science Publishers Inc

The opening chapter, Coping with Chronic Illness, delves into the profound impact of a diagnosis on the family, encompassing the initial communication of the diagnosis and the subsequent journey of chronicity. It explores the intricate relationships within the family, the social context, the coping strategies employed, and the representation of the disease. Pain management becomes a pressing concern in pediatric cancer patients, as pain can arise from various sources and detrimentally impact their long-term well-being. To gain a deeper understanding of the pain adjustment processes occurring in young patients, the authors conduct an analysis on a cohort of 30 children and early adolescents undergoing cancer-related pain. This study specifically focuses on the diverse coping strategies employed at different stages of therapy. Furthermore, the authors discuss strategies for fostering family coping efforts and resilience, recognizing the vital role of the family in supporting their loved ones during this challenging time.

Future research endeavors should continue to prioritize helping children cope with the stress and anxiety associated with their conditions and medical procedures.

The collection then proceeds to review and analyze the relationship between sociodemographic and clinical variables, psychological morbidity, self-efficacy for coping, illness perceptions, and quality of life (QoL) across different disease stages. The penultimate chapter presents an insightful account of the experience of continuous management of adult diabetes at the ASST Spedali Civili of Brescia. Clinical work has confirmed that an integrated approach, emphasizing the recognition of emotions and providing relational support, plays a fundamental role in managing chronicity.

The concluding paper explores options for chronic illness management in aged care facilities while emphasizing the urgent need for more effective illness prevention and positive lifestyle management programs in the early years of life.

Weight: 306g
Dimension: 153 x 230 x 14 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781536167757