IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jijerp/v16y2019i11p1875-d234854.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Maintenance and Development of Social Connection by People with Long-term Conditions: A Qualitative Study

Author

Listed:
  • Amanda Wilkinson

    (Centre for Health, Activity, and Rehabilitation Research, School of Physiotherapy, University of Otago, P.O. Box 56, Dunedin 9054, New Zealand)

  • Lucy Bowen

    (Centre for Health, Activity, and Rehabilitation Research, School of Physiotherapy, University of Otago, P.O. Box 56, Dunedin 9054, New Zealand
    Undergraduate students at the time of the study.)

  • Elias Gustavsson

    (Department of Community Medicine and Rehabilitation, Umeå University, 901 87 Umeå, Sweden
    Undergraduate students at the time of the study.)

  • Simon Håkansson

    (Department of Community Medicine and Rehabilitation, Umeå University, 901 87 Umeå, Sweden
    Undergraduate students at the time of the study.)

  • Nicole Littleton

    (Centre for Health, Activity, and Rehabilitation Research, School of Physiotherapy, University of Otago, P.O. Box 56, Dunedin 9054, New Zealand
    Undergraduate students at the time of the study.)

  • James McCormick

    (Centre for Health, Activity, and Rehabilitation Research, School of Physiotherapy, University of Otago, P.O. Box 56, Dunedin 9054, New Zealand
    Undergraduate students at the time of the study.)

  • Michelle Thompson

    (Centre for Health, Activity, and Rehabilitation Research, School of Physiotherapy, University of Otago, P.O. Box 56, Dunedin 9054, New Zealand
    Undergraduate students at the time of the study.)

  • Hilda Mulligan

    (Centre for Health, Activity, and Rehabilitation Research, School of Physiotherapy, University of Otago, P.O. Box 56, Dunedin 9054, New Zealand)

Abstract

Social connection is important for people’s health and well-being. Social isolation arising from a lack of meaningful connection with others can result in deterioration of well-being with negative consequences for health. For people living with multiple long-term conditions, the building and maintaining of social connection may be challenging. The aim of this study was to explore with people with long-term conditions how they perceive they maintain and develop social connections. We undertook semi-structured interviews with seventeen adults, and analyzed the data for themes. Themes were “Meaningful connection”, “Wherewithal for social connection” and “Impact of a major change in life course”. The findings suggest that social connection is valued, and facilitates meaningful ways to reciprocate support with others, thus enabling access to knowledge and resources for better health and well-being. However, people with long-term conditions can experience challenges to developing and maintaining social connectedness after a major change in life course. We suggest that healthcare providers are well placed to facilitate ways for people with long-term conditions to socially connect with others in their neighbourhood and community, and that this in particular be attended to after a major life change.

Suggested Citation

  • Amanda Wilkinson & Lucy Bowen & Elias Gustavsson & Simon Håkansson & Nicole Littleton & James McCormick & Michelle Thompson & Hilda Mulligan, 2019. "Maintenance and Development of Social Connection by People with Long-term Conditions: A Qualitative Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(11), pages 1-11, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:16:y:2019:i:11:p:1875-:d:234854
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/16/11/1875/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/16/11/1875/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Mojtaba Vaismoradi & Hannele Turunen & Terese Bondas, 2013. "Content analysis and thematic analysis: Implications for conducting a qualitative descriptive study," Nursing & Health Sciences, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 15(3), pages 398-405, September.
    2. Kayla P. Meek & Caroline D. Bergeron & Samuel D. Towne & SangNam Ahn & Marcia G. Ory & Matthew Lee Smith, 2018. "Restricted Social Engagement among Adults Living with Chronic Conditions," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 15(1), pages 1-13, January.
    3. Diego Zavaleta & Kim Samuel & China Mills, 2014. "Social Isolation: A conceptual and Measurement Proposal," OPHI Working Papers 67, Queen Elizabeth House, University of Oxford.
    4. Ivaylo Vassilev & Anne Rogers & Anne Kennedy & Michel Wensing & Jan Koetsenruijter & Rosanna Orlando & Maria Carmen Portillo & David Culliford, 2016. "Social Network Type and Long-Term Condition Management Support: A Cross-Sectional Study in Six European Countries," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 11(8), pages 1-15, August.
    5. Patricia A. Thomas, 2010. "Is It Better to Give or to Receive? Social Support and the Well-being of Older Adults," The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, The Gerontological Society of America, vol. 65(3), pages 351-357.
    6. Sirven, Nicolas & Debrand, Thierry, 2008. "Social participation and healthy ageing: An international comparison using SHARE data," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 67(12), pages 2017-2026, December.
    7. Hawe, Penelope & Shiell, Alan, 2000. "Social capital and health promotion: a review," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 51(6), pages 871-885, September.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Meredith Perry & Lucy Cotes & Benjamin Horton & Rebecca Kunac & Isaac Snell & Blake Taylor & Abbey Wright & Hemakumar Devan, 2021. "“Enticing” but Not Necessarily a “Space Designed for Me”: Experiences of Urban Park Use by Older Adults with Disability," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(2), pages 1-19, January.
    2. Abdullah Sarwar & Md. Amirul Islam & Muhammad Mohiuddin & Mohammad Ali Tareq & Aysa Siddika, 2022. "Social Connections and Self-Perceived Depression: An Enhanced Model for Studying Teenagers’ Mental Wellbeing," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(23), pages 1-12, November.
    3. Yuetao Liu & Songhui You & Zhiyuan Wang, 2022. "The Moderating Role of Sociability and Social Connection for the Relationship between Soccer Participation and Teamwork Ability among Chinese College Students," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(23), pages 1-11, November.
    4. Chloe C. Dedryver & Cécile Knai, 2021. "‘It’s Easily the Lowest I’ve Ever, Ever Got to’: A Qualitative Study of Young Adults’ Social Isolation during the COVID-19 Lockdowns in the UK," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(22), pages 1-11, November.
    5. Amanda Wilkinson & Allyson Calder & Beth Elliott & Ryan Rodger & Hilda Mulligan & Leigh Hale & Meredith Perry, 2023. "Disabled People or Their Support Persons’ Perceptions of a Community Based Multi-Sensory Environment (MSE): A Mixed-Method Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(19), pages 1-15, September.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Esther Kalule Nanfuka & David Kyaddondo & Sarah N Ssali & Narathius Asingwire, 2018. "Social capital and resilience among people living on antiretroviral therapy in resource-poor Uganda," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 13(6), pages 1-21, June.
    2. Sapanna Laysiriroj & Walter Wehrmeyer, 2020. "Intergenerational differences of CSR activities in family-run businesses in eastern Thailand," Asian Journal of Sustainability and Social Responsibility, Springer, vol. 5(1), pages 1-15, December.
    3. Maider Belintxon & Nisha Dogra & Paula McGee & Maria Jesus Pumar‐Mendez & Olga Lopez‐Dicastillo, 2020. "Encounters between children's nurses and culturally diverse parents in primary health care," Nursing & Health Sciences, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 22(2), pages 273-282, June.
    4. Thomas Akintayo & Niina Häkälä & Katja Ropponen & Elsa Paronen & Sari Rissanen, 2016. "Predictive Factors for Voluntary and/or Paid Work among Adults in their Sixties," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 128(3), pages 1387-1404, September.
    5. Emmanuel Songsore & Michael Buzzelli, 2016. "Ontario’s Experience of Wind Energy Development as Seen through the Lens of Human Health and Environmental Justice," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 13(7), pages 1-18, July.
    6. Ana Cristina Lindsay & Sherrie F. Wallington & Faith D. Lees & Mary L. Greaney, 2018. "Exploring How the Home Environment Influences Eating and Physical Activity Habits of Low-Income, Latino Children of Predominantly Immigrant Families: A Qualitative Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 15(5), pages 1-13, May.
    7. David P. Ashmore & Roselle Thoreau & Corina Kwami & Nicola Christie & Nicholas A. Tyler, 2020. "Using thematic analysis to explore symbolism in transport choice across national cultures," Transportation, Springer, vol. 47(2), pages 607-640, April.
    8. Satu Elo & Maria Kääriäinen & Outi Kanste & Tarja Pölkki & Kati Utriainen & Helvi Kyngäs, 2014. "Qualitative Content Analysis," SAGE Open, , vol. 4(1), pages 21582440145, February.
    9. Tzu-Yu Lin & Seiichi Sakuno, 2020. "Service Quality for Sports and Active Aging in Japanese Community Sports Clubs," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(22), pages 1-19, November.
    10. Borch, Kristian & Munk, Anders K. & Dahlgaard, Vibeke, 2020. "Mapping wind-power controversies on social media: Facebook as a powerful mobilizer of local resistance," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 138(C).
    11. Naci Akdemir & Serkan Yenal, 2021. "How Phishers Exploit the Coronavirus Pandemic: A Content Analysis of COVID-19 Themed Phishing Emails," SAGE Open, , vol. 11(3), pages 21582440211, July.
    12. Alexander Maas & Liang Lu, 2021. "Elections have Consequences: Partisan Politics may be Literally Killing Us," Applied Health Economics and Health Policy, Springer, vol. 19(1), pages 45-56, January.
    13. Caro Wolfner & Corilyn Ott & Kalani Upshaw & Angela Stowe & Lisa Schwiebert & Robin Gaines Lanzi, 2023. "Coping Strategies and Help-Seeking Behaviors of College Students and Postdoctoral Fellows with Disabilities or Pre-Existing Conditions during COVID-19," Disabilities, MDPI, vol. 3(1), pages 1-25, February.
    14. McNeill, Lorna Haughton & Kreuter, Matthew W. & Subramanian, S.V., 2006. "Social Environment and Physical activity: A review of concepts and evidence," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 63(4), pages 1011-1022, August.
    15. Christopher Mulwanda & Vincent R. Nyirenda & Ngawo Namukonde, 2024. "Traditional ecological knowledge, perceptions and practices on insect pollinator conservation: A case of the smallholder farmers in Murundu ward of Mufulira mining district of Zambia," Journal of Environmental Studies and Sciences, Springer;Association of Environmental Studies and Sciences, vol. 14(1), pages 24-35, March.
    16. Chiara Oppi & Cristina Campanale & Lino Cinquini, 2021. "Il problema dell?ambiguit? nei sistemi di misurazione della performance nel settore pubblico: un?analisi della letteratura internazionale," MANAGEMENT CONTROL, FrancoAngeli Editore, vol. 2021(2), pages 11-38.
    17. McConnell, Bonnie B., 2016. "Music and health communication in The Gambia: A social capital approach," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 169(C), pages 132-140.
    18. Oznur Korukcu & Ruveyde Aydın & Jane Conway & Kamile Kukulu, 2018. "Motherhood in the shade of migration: A qualitative study of the experience of Syrian refugee mothers living in Turkey," Nursing & Health Sciences, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 20(1), pages 46-53, March.
    19. Vivian Welch & Elizabeth Tanjong Ghogomu & Victoria I. Barbeau & Elisabeth Boulton & Sabrina Boutin & Niobe Haitas & Dylan Kneale & Douglas M. Salzwedel & Roger Simard & Paul Herbert & Christopher Mik, 2022. "PROTOCOL: Digital interventions to reduce social isolation and loneliness in older adults: An evidence and gap map," Campbell Systematic Reviews, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 18(3), September.
    20. Elke Loots & Josée Leys & Shara Proost & Manuel Morrens & Inge Glazemakers & Tinne Dilles & Bart Van Rompaey, 2022. "Medication Self-Management in Hospitalised Patients with Schizophrenia or Bipolar Disorder: The Perceptions of Patients and Healthcare Providers," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(8), pages 1-11, April.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:16:y:2019:i:11:p:1875-:d:234854. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.