TY - JOUR

T1 - Managing persistent physical symptoms when being social and active is the norm

T2 - a qualitative study among young people in Denmark

AU - Andersen, Julie Høgsgaard

AU - Risør, Mette Bech

AU - Frostholm, Lisbeth

AU - Rask, Mette Trøllund

AU - Rosendal, Marianne

AU - Rask, Charlotte Ulrikka

N1 - © 2023. BioMed Central Ltd., part of Springer Nature.

PY - 2023

Y1 - 2023

N2 - BACKGROUND: An increasing number of young people in Western countries report persistent physical symptoms (PPS). PPS may disturb everyday activities and they may have negative consequences for later adult mental and physical health. Still little is known about how young people handle PPS in their everyday lives. This study examines how young people with PPS attempt to manage their symptoms while staying engaged in their daily activities and what is at stake in these attempts.METHODS: This qualitative study involved semi-structured interviews with 11 young people with PPS. Photo-elicitation was used to capture the participants' experiences as they occurred in their everyday lives. The data material was analysed using a thematic analysis approach, as well as theory on subjectivity and social acceleration.RESULTS: The participants employed alleviating measures and tried to find patterns between their activities and the severity of their symptoms in order to adjust their activity level. Decisions not to participate in social activities were accompanied by feelings of missing out. The participants' attempts at adjusting their activity level was challenged by norms of being social and active, and they experienced difficulty prioritizing their activities and explaining their symptoms to others.CONCLUSION: PPS shaped the participants' sense of how to act towards their bodies and social relationships in interaction with societal norms. The participants' subject formation and symptom experiences should thus be seen as a biosocial process.

AB - BACKGROUND: An increasing number of young people in Western countries report persistent physical symptoms (PPS). PPS may disturb everyday activities and they may have negative consequences for later adult mental and physical health. Still little is known about how young people handle PPS in their everyday lives. This study examines how young people with PPS attempt to manage their symptoms while staying engaged in their daily activities and what is at stake in these attempts.METHODS: This qualitative study involved semi-structured interviews with 11 young people with PPS. Photo-elicitation was used to capture the participants' experiences as they occurred in their everyday lives. The data material was analysed using a thematic analysis approach, as well as theory on subjectivity and social acceleration.RESULTS: The participants employed alleviating measures and tried to find patterns between their activities and the severity of their symptoms in order to adjust their activity level. Decisions not to participate in social activities were accompanied by feelings of missing out. The participants' attempts at adjusting their activity level was challenged by norms of being social and active, and they experienced difficulty prioritizing their activities and explaining their symptoms to others.CONCLUSION: PPS shaped the participants' sense of how to act towards their bodies and social relationships in interaction with societal norms. The participants' subject formation and symptom experiences should thus be seen as a biosocial process.

U2 - 10.1186/s12889-023-16910-2

DO - 10.1186/s12889-023-16910-2

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 37805452

VL - 23

JO - BMC Public Health

JF - BMC Public Health

SN - 1471-2458

IS - 1

M1 - 1949

ER -