Peer Relations of Chronically ill Young Adults

• Applicant: Professor Dr. Uwe Flick
• Subject Area: Empirical Social Research ; Educational Research on Socialization, Welfare and Professionalism
• Term: since 2021
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 460063643

The on-going project (FL 245/12-1) investigates the importance of peer relationships for chronically ill young adults. In a gender-sensitive way, the role of peers in the illness behavior is analyzed. At the same time, it is asked how the disease affects the quality of peer relationships. Reciprocal influences between chronic illnesses and social relationships are analyzed not only from the perspective of ill persons, but also from that of their good friends/partners. Episodic interviews were conducted with 60 chronically ill young adults suffering from diabetes/I, cancer or inflammatory bowel disease. In addition, 30 peers were interviewed. The interviews are analyzed using thematic coding for identifying interpretive and practice patterns as well as for developing typologies on the basis of contrasting case studies. Results from the interviews with chronically ill young adults are related to peer interviews on the case and group levels. Results refer to the changes in social relationships between the chronically ill and their peers, their social support for the chronically ill, the understandings of friendship, self-management and dyadic coping; Disclosure strategies of the chronically ill and the peers’ illness concepts as well as the role of Covid-19.The proposal for continuation is very closely oriented on the ongoing project (in terms of methodology, data protection, information letters and declarations of consent). The proposal for continuation aims at 1) follow-up interviews with selected participants (20 chronically ill young adults and about 8 peers). The sampling criterion for these a follow-up interviews is the course of the diseases so far (rather mild or rather severe). The follow-up interviews will be complemented by 2) new interviews with about 20 chronically ill young adults with diseases such as Long Covid and Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS), Multiple Sclerosis and Systemic Lupus, which particularly often trigger invalidations (symptom devaluations) in the social (private and institutional) environment, which was also a topic in the interviews in the ongoing project. The interviews will address the question how young adults deal with their illness against this background, especially in social contexts (e.g. peers; university context; health care), and which health-related information they share. For the new samples, again (around 7) peers shall be interviewed, who again will be recruited with the help of the interviewed chronically ill young adults. In addition, about 30 experts in the care and education sectors will be interviewed. The analyses of the data will be brought together within the framework of a multi-perspective triangulation, disseminated via scientific publications and in practice-oriented contexts and reviewed in a collegial peer debriefing.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants