Renegotiating identity. A Nordic study of adolescent's experiences of living with a parent having heart disease.

Abstract

To explore adolescents' experiences of having a parent with heart disease. This qualitative study was performed with semi-structured individual interviews. Interviews were conducted with 33 adolescents between 13 and 19 years old, who either had a mother or father with one of these diagnoses: ischemic heart disease, arrhythmia, heart failure, cardiac arrest or heart valve disease. The parent had been ill for at least 6 months and up to 5 years. The study was carried out in Denmark, Norway and Sweden between 2019 and 2022. The analysis was inspired by Reflexive Methodology. Three central themes emerged: Response to parental heart disease; Growing up ahead of time; and Strategies in a changed life situation. For the adolescents, heart disease was experienced as an acute and lethal disease that put their parents' lives in danger. New routines and roles not only changed everyday life within the family but they also enhanced maturity and appreciation of life. To maintain a balance in life, the adolescents pursued normality and sought a safe space to have a normal youthful life. In a period known to be significant for development, life with parental heart disease appeared as a biographical disruption because adolescents renegotiated their identity to manage their new life situation. It is important to help younger family members adapt to parental heart disease by informing them about possible reactions and supporting them in how to adapt to their new life by seeking breaks and normality. No patient or public involvement.