| Learning Objective #1: Identify the positive and negative effects for older adolescents having a parent with A1AD, a genetic and often-fatal disease | |||
| Learning Objective #2: Describe how parents' symptoms of pulmonary disease and depression affect the adolescent's social, psychological and educational development |
Objective: To discover the effects of parental alpha-1 anti-trypsin deficiency (A1AD), a genetic emphysema, on older adolescents' lives.
Design: Exploratory study using method and data source triangulation.
Population, Sample, Setting, Years: A non-random sample of 22 Caucasian adolescents ages 15 to 22 (68%females) and parents returned written surveys. Mean adolescent age was 18 years. The A1AD patient was the father for 73% of adolescents. Surveys were completed during late 2001.
Concepts Studied and Outcome Variables: Researchers have reported conflicting results for adolescents living with chronically ill parents regarding depression, self-esteem, health habits, smoking, drinking, jobs, career choices, relationships, home problems, and personal strengths. Open-ended questions asked adolescents and parents to comment about these variables. The CES-D measured symptoms of depression. The Rosenberg Scale measured self-esteem. Methods: Parents from the A1AD listserv with older adolescents volunteered by e-mail to participate. Individuals returned mailed consents and surveys in sealed envelopes. Adolescents completed demographic form, CES-D, Rosenberg Scale and an open-ended question survey. Parents completed demographic form, the CES-D and an open-ended question survey about their adolescent. Surveys responses were analyzed via the Colaizzi method Findings: Seven adolescents had high CES-D scores. There was a statistically significant inverse relationship between CES-D and Self-esteem scores and statistically significant relationships between the CESD adolescents' scores and both patient/parent scores and well parent scores. Respondents reported specific developmental tasks were affected. Identified major themes from questionnaires were: making life difficult, relating to parents, changing positively, and deciding one's life. There was moderate agreement between adolescents-parent's responses.
Conclusions: Parental illness influences developmental tasks with positive and negative outcomes.
Implications: Nurses in all settings must routinely assess family members, especially adolescents, for depression and risk taking behaviors. Nurses could implement strategies to enhance positive coping skills. Researchers should interview and survey larger samples of similar adolescents regarding outcomes.
Back to Adolescent Health
Back to 14th International Nursing Research Congress
Sigma Theta Tau International
10-12 July 2003