Traumatic experiences in chronic illness: Reports of adolescents with scoliosis and diabetes

Ariana Pinto Lopes, Marina Serra Lemos, Margarida Rangel Henriques, António Fonseca Oliveira, Rosário Mendes

Abstract


The experience of chronic illness is a stressful life event that can lead to a set of traumatic experiences with intense and long-lasting psychosocial effects still poorly understood. Expressive writing is particularly powerful in disclosing the in-depth meaning of human experiences, also creating opportunities for insight and reorganization of traumatic experiences. The present study analyzed the traumatic experiences reported by 36 adolescents with scoliosis (19 using the brace) and 20 with diabetes, using expressive writing paradigm. The results identified the monitoring of therapy, physical complaints, relationships and concerns about the development of chronic illness as the most frequent traumatic experiences. The comparison of the narratives of the three groups of adolescents showed that more than the type of chronic illness the use of the brace was significantly implicated in the traumatic experiences of these adolescents. Over time expressive writing showed positive effects, reinforcing its relevance as a tool for clinical use.

Keywords


Adolescence, Diabetes, Scoliosis, Traumatic experience, Expressive writing.

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.14417/ap.1631

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