Long-term mental well-being of adolescents and young adults diagnosed with venous thromboembolism: results from a multistage mixed methods study

5 years ago

Long-term mental well-being of adolescents and young adults diagnosed with venous thromboembolism: results from a multistage mixed methods study

Mette Søgaard, Anette Arbjerg Højen, Pia Sander Dreyer, Erik Elgaard Sørensen, Torben Bjerregaard Larsen

Background Critical and chronic illness in youth can lead to impaired mental well-being. Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a potentially traumatic and life-threatening condition. Nonetheless, the long-term mental well-being of adolescents and young adults (AYAS) with VTE is unclear. Objectives To investigate the long-term mental well-being of AYAS (13-33 years) diagnosed with VTE. Methods We performed a multistage mixed method study based on data from the Danish nationwide health registries, and semi-structured interviews with 12 AYAS diagnosed with VTE. An integrated mixed methods interpretation of the findings was conducted through narrative weaving and joint displays. Results The integrated mixed method interpretation showed that the mental well-being of AYAS with VTE had a chronic perspective, with a persistently higher risk of psychotropic drug purchase among AYAS with a first-time diagnosis of VTE compared with sex and age matched population controls and AYAS with fist-time diagnosis of insulin dependent diabetes mellitus. Impaired mental well-being was largely connected to fear of recurrence and concomitant uncertainty. Therefore, it was important for the long-term mental well-being to navigate uncertainty. Perceived health threat played a more profound role for the long-term mental well-being than disease severity, as the potential life-threat was the pivot which pointed back to the initial VTE and forward to the perception of future health-threat and the potential risk of dying of a recurrent event. Conclusion Our findings show that the long-term mental well-being of AYAS diagnosed with VTE is negatively impacted and highlights these patients’ need for adequate support. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Publisher URL: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/resolve/doi

DOI: 10.1111/jth.13873