Being creative and resourceful : Individuals’ abilities and possibilities for self-management of chronic illness

• Main Author: Audulv, Åsa
• Format: Doctoral Thesis
• Language: English
• Published: Mittuniversitetet, Institutionen för hälsovetenskap 2011
• Subjects: Self-management; self-care; chronic illness; chronic disease; qualitative research; life conditions; beliefs and values; self-management integration; longitudinal; Egenvård; sjukdomshantering; kronisk sjukdom; kvalitativ forskning; livsvillkor; värderingar; egenvårds integrering; hantering; anpassning; Nursing; Omvårdnad
• Online Access: http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:miun:diva-13512; http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:isbn:978-91-86694-39-5

Individuals’ self-management styles are crucial for how they manage to live with illness. Commonly investigated factors include social support, self-efficacy, health beliefs, and demographics. There is a gap in the literature with regard to in-depth studies of how those factors actually influence an individual’s self-management.   The aim of this thesis was to investigate the underlying mechanisms of self-management from the perspective of individuals living with chronic illness.   Interviews were conducted with 47 individuals with various chronic illnesses, some of them repeatedly over two and a half years (a total of 107 interviews). The material was analysed with; constructive grounded theory, content analysis, phenomenography, and interpretive description.   The Self-management Support Model identified aspects that influenced participants’ self-management: economic and social situation, social support, views and perspectives on illness, attribution of responsibility, and ability to integrate self-management into an overall life situation. For example, individuals with a life-oriented or disease-oriented perspective on illness prioritized different aspects of self-management. People who attributed internal responsibility performed a more complex self-management regimen than individuals who attributed external responsibility. In conclusion, individuals who were creative and resourceful had a better chance of tailoring a self-management regimen that suited them well. People in more disadvantaged positions (e.g., financial strain, limited support, or severe intrusive illness) experienced difficulty in finding a method of self-management that fit their life situation.   These findings can inspire healthcare providers to initiate a reflective dialogue about self-management with their patients. === Exploring individuals’ conceptions as a way to understand self-management among people living with long term medical conditions