Factors influencing adjustment to chronic illness and the role of the self-help group in this process
Factors influencing adjustment to chronic illness and the role of the self-help group in this process
The primary aim of this study was two-fold: to determine what influences changes in quality of life (QoL) over time and to determine what aspects of QoL changed over time. There was a particular focus on what role social comparison may play in changes in QoL during the process of adjustment to chronic disease.
A longitudinal design was used where QoL was measured at baseline and ten months later at follow-up.
To determine these relationships a qualitative study and a pilot study were carried out to develop and validate two new questionnaires. The main study then consisted of a survey where 550 people with Méniére’s disease completed questionnaires at baseline and 301 completed measures of QoL again at follow-up, ten months later. Three different aspects of QoL were measured (functional, goal-oriented, and perceived positive change since the onset of the illness), and baseline predictor variables were classified as the catalyst (disease severity measures), the antecedents (demographic factors and the psychological factors self-esteem, optimisation, and perceived control), and the mechanisms (the social comparison variables). Response shift was also measured using the ThenTest approach.
A cross-sectional analysis at baseline showed that social comparison was indeed associated with adjustment after controlling for the antecedents and the catalyst. Longitudinally, support for the main prediction was found where negative social comparison emerged as a primary predictor of worse functional QoL, providing evidence for the influence of social comparison within a self-help group on adjustment. However, those who had been members of the society for longer showed better functional QoL which indicates that the self-help group was having a positive effect on QoL over time. Self-esteem and the perception of movement towards goals emerged as important predictors of functional QoL over time.
University of Southampton
Dibb, Bridget
1cdc4ce1-7f8e-4c21-80ed-c3a48cdae209
2004
Dibb, Bridget
1cdc4ce1-7f8e-4c21-80ed-c3a48cdae209
Dibb, Bridget
(2004)
Factors influencing adjustment to chronic illness and the role of the self-help group in this process.
University of Southampton, Doctoral Thesis.
Record type:
Thesis
(Doctoral)
Abstract
The primary aim of this study was two-fold: to determine what influences changes in quality of life (QoL) over time and to determine what aspects of QoL changed over time. There was a particular focus on what role social comparison may play in changes in QoL during the process of adjustment to chronic disease.
A longitudinal design was used where QoL was measured at baseline and ten months later at follow-up.
To determine these relationships a qualitative study and a pilot study were carried out to develop and validate two new questionnaires. The main study then consisted of a survey where 550 people with Méniére’s disease completed questionnaires at baseline and 301 completed measures of QoL again at follow-up, ten months later. Three different aspects of QoL were measured (functional, goal-oriented, and perceived positive change since the onset of the illness), and baseline predictor variables were classified as the catalyst (disease severity measures), the antecedents (demographic factors and the psychological factors self-esteem, optimisation, and perceived control), and the mechanisms (the social comparison variables). Response shift was also measured using the ThenTest approach.
A cross-sectional analysis at baseline showed that social comparison was indeed associated with adjustment after controlling for the antecedents and the catalyst. Longitudinally, support for the main prediction was found where negative social comparison emerged as a primary predictor of worse functional QoL, providing evidence for the influence of social comparison within a self-help group on adjustment. However, those who had been members of the society for longer showed better functional QoL which indicates that the self-help group was having a positive effect on QoL over time. Self-esteem and the perception of movement towards goals emerged as important predictors of functional QoL over time.
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Published date: 2004
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Local EPrints ID: 465351
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/465351
PURE UUID: 043c78ec-3c06-4174-b6ee-cf5862e37586
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Date deposited: 05 Jul 2022 00:39
Last modified: 16 Mar 2024 20:07
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Author:
Bridget Dibb
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