van Mens-Verhulst Janneke, Radtke H Lorraine, Spence Cheryl D
Research School Psychology and Health, Utrecht University, Post Box 80140, 3508 TC Utrecht, The Netherlands.
Patient Educ Couns. 2004 Jul;54(1):79-86. doi: 10.1016/S0738-3991(03)00200-3.
Little attention has been paid to the specific problems of mothers with chronic illness. In this study of mothers with asthma, we asked the question: "how do they manage their illness"? We interviewed a purposive sample of four Dutch and four Canadian mothers living with asthma and varying in age and socio-economic class. Our analysis explored challenges the mothers face, three main strategies of non-medical illness management (prevention, normalization and mobilizing support), and the influence of age and class differences. Unhealthy cycles of living with asthma are identified and suggestions for mother-specific interventions are offered. By drawing attention to the gendered nature of chronic illness management and to patients' own experiences, a more useful frame of reference is created for professionals who do not have first hand knowledge of living with a chronic illness.
慢性病母亲的具体问题很少受到关注。在这项针对哮喘母亲的研究中，我们提出了一个问题：“她们如何管理自己的疾病？”我们有目的地采访了四位患有哮喘的荷兰母亲和四位加拿大母亲，她们年龄和社会经济阶层各异。我们的分析探讨了母亲们面临的挑战、非药物疾病管理的三种主要策略（预防、正常化和动员支持）以及年龄和阶层差异的影响。我们识别出了与哮喘共存的不健康循环，并提出了针对母亲的干预建议。通过关注慢性病管理的性别特征以及患者自身的经历，为那些没有慢性病亲身经历的专业人员创造了一个更有用的参考框架。
