Understanding self-management behaviors in symptomatic adults with uncertain etiology using an illness perceptions framework

Abstract

The self-management behaviors of individuals with medical conditions that have an unknown etiology have not been studied. This study assesses the relationship between illness perceptions and various illness self-management behaviors in patients undergoing clinical genomic sequencing to identify a genetic cause for their condition. Hierarchical linear regression, Poisson linear regression, and logistic regression were used to assess the effect of illness perceptions (i.e., perceived consequences, timeline, personal control, treatment control, identity, concern, understanding, emotional impact, and causal beliefs as measured by the Brief Illness Perceptions Questionnaire) on healthcare use, prescription medication use, and doctor recommended supplement use, respectively (n = 200). Analyses revealed that (1) illness identity beliefs were positively associated with healthcare use (β =.20, p =.04), (2) both treatment control beliefs (B =.03, p =.02) and genetic causal beliefs (B =.17, p =.049) were positively associated with prescription medication use, and (3) both timeline beliefs (OR =1.23, p =.02) and emotional impact (OR =1.20, p =.02) were positively associated with doctor recommended supplement use. These findings can be used to inform the development of guidelines for treating patients who are seeking a genetic diagnosis for their illness.

Evaluating the clinical utility of early exome sequencing in diverse pediatric outpatient populations in the North Carolina Clinical Genomic Evaluation of Next-generation Exome Sequencing (NCGENES) 2 study: A randomized controlled trial

“…The NCGENES 2 study seeks to build on the knowledge gained through the original NCGENES study (9,(22)(23)(24), which helped to identify which types of patients were most likely to bene t from application of exome sequencing (ES) (16,22,23,(25)(26)(27)(28)(29)(30), and examine patient decision-making to understand how they processed and responded to genomic information (31)(32)(33)(34)(35)(36)(37). Attention to enrollment of a diverse study population in the NCGENES study enabled a broad range of perspectives to be elicited, but also raised potential challenges regarding enrollment and attrition of participants from populations underrepresented in traditional research (38).…”

Cognitive behavioral therapy reduces illness perceptions and anxiety symptoms in patients with unruptured intracranial aneurysm

“…On the other hand, the common-sense model proposes that illness perceptions are associated with the adjustments a patient makes to a health condition. Studies have shown that among individuals with medical conditions who perceive their disease as chronic, emotional impact and control over the disease due to treatment are positively associated with healthcare use, thereby enhancing the use of prescription medication and doctor recommended supplements [18]. Additionally, in patients with coronary artery disease, a better understanding of the illness enables personal control and increases quality of life [19].…”