Abstract
To review the extent to which illness representations, based on Leventhal’s
Common Sense Model, relate to self-management in children and young people
with chronic physical health conditions. A systematic literature review was
carried out to identify relevant studies and each included paper was assessed for
risk of bias. Fifteen papers met criteria for inclusion within the review. The
majority of studies were cross-sectional, and small sample sizes for some studies
made it difficult to generalise findings. The method of measuring both illness
representations and outcomes varied. Timeline, identity, control and consequences
beliefs were the most frequently assessed domains of illness representations
included within the studies. While there is variability, there are indications
that control beliefs, specifically treatment control beliefs, are more consistently
and strongly associated with self-management than other representation
domains. Control beliefs should be targeted for intervention in studies trying
to improve adolescent self-management. In addition, the relationship between
illness representations and self-management needs to be considered within both
developmental and systemic contexts. It is likely that the variation in selfmanagement
will be more fully explained in future research that explores the
combined effects of individual representations and the influence of wider
contexts.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 362-380 |
Journal | Health Psychology Review |
Volume | 8 |
Issue number | 3 |
Publication status | Published - 10 Dec 2012 |
Keywords
- illness beliefs
- illness representations
- Chronic illness
- chronic health condition
- paediatric
- self-care
- self-management
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Applied Psychology
- Clinical Psychology
- Pediatrics, Perinatology, and Child Health