Adolescent psychosocial adaptation to inflammatory bowel disease

Abstract

An important role of the nurse practitioner in the care of adolescents with inflammatory bowel disease is to assist them to progress through their normal developmental tasks with as little turmoil as possible. The purpose of this article is to plan strategies to help these adolescents deal with body changes resulting from inflammatory bowel disease and the steroids used to treat the disease. Outcome measures relate to maintenance or improvement of self-esteem, development of sexual identity, establishment of independence from family, and the formation of satisfactory peer relationships.