Growing up with juvenile idiopathic arthritis: Social issues

Introduction

Juvenile idiopathic arthritis is a chronic inflammatory condition interfering with daily activities, social integration, and school attendance in children because of pain and joint inflammation during disease flares. Online resources might help children with JIA improve their social interactions and enhance their knowledge about their disease and the available therapeutic strategies.

Objective

This study aims to reveal the social issues encountered by teenagers prone to JIA and determine their perception of the impact of social media on their daily life.

Material and methods

We conducted this study using inductive qualitative methods to describe the sociocultural perception and experience of adolescents with JIA aged between 8 and 16 years.

Results

Individual interviews were held with 22 adolescents diagnosed with JIA. Fifty-two percent felt like outcasts and rejected by their peers because of their illness. Most of the participants expressed a need for their friends to be informed about their JIA diagnosis. Twenty-two-point-seven percent stated that they played sports for more than 5 h a week. A total of 31.8% found their physical performance was not affected by their disease. Ninety-seven of the participants confirmed that they use social media on average 3 h a day. YouTube and Facebook were ranked respectively as the first and the second preferred platforms. Seventeen percent of the children viewed these platforms as positive and helpful in dealing with JIA, especially by taking their minds off the pain, dealing with the stress resulting from the lack of mobility, and facilitating interactions with others.

Conclusion

Social integration in children with JIA is still challenging. Social media is helpful in managing JIA and improving social interactions, and in gaining useful information.