Illness Representations in Families with a Chronically Ill Adolescent: Differences between Family Members and Impact on Patients’ Outcome Variables

Abstract

The impact of parents’ illness representations on well-being and illness-related strain of adolescents suffering from a chronic skin disease was examined. Because family characteristics have proved to be important for coping, adolescents’ perceived family cohesion was also assessed. Five categories of illness representations (causes, control, timeline, curability, and effective treatments) were assessed from 30 adolescents and their parents. Comparisons revealed differences between family members’ illness representations. Perceived family cohesion was a good predictor of adolescents’ wellbeing and strain, whereas parents’ illness representations had only little impact. In families with high similarity between the parents’ illness representations, the adolescents reported more well-being. Results are discussed with regard to developmental characteristics of adolescence, nature of outcome variables and methodological problems.