Learning Objective #1: Appreciate voices of chronically ill adolescents about their preferences for participation in decision making for their health care.

Learning Objective #2: Understand a theory grounded on chronically ill adolescents' preferences for participation in health care decisions affecting them.

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Purpose: This study examined and determined the preferences of chronically ill adolescents for their participation in decision-making affecting their health and care. It unfolded a theory grounded on the voices of chronically ill adolescents.

Methods: A qualitative content analysis was used through iterative and interpretive stance using the inductive process. Participants were eighty chronically ill adolescents, 14 to 19-years-old diagnosed with cystic fibrosis, asthma, leukemia, and sickle cell. Open and axial coding broke data into themes and categories and a core category emerged. Substantive codes conceptualized empirical substance.

Results: The basic problem emerged with a core category achieving for participation and sub themes seeking for participation, seeking for autonomy, and seeking for shared decision making. Themes emerged such as: being heard, being involved, being informed, having a voice, and having a choice. A theoretical framework emerged that explains how the emerging problem is processed in a social setting.

Conclusions: Achieving for participation fulfills the rights of the adolescent to shared decision making, self-actualization, dignity, respect, non-interference, and the right to make informed decisions. This implies the need for health policy makers and health care personnel to affirm the rights of the child for a partnership or shared decision-making.

Keywords: Participation, shared decision making, self actualization