Adolescent boys with asthma – a pilot study on embodied gendered habits

Abstract

PurposeAsthma is a common chronic disease with gender differences in terms of severity and quality of life. This study aimed to understand the gendered practices of male asthmatic adolescents in terms of living with and managing their chronic disease. The study applied a sociological perspective to identify the gender-related practices of participants and their possible consequences for health and disease.Patients and methodsThe study used a combined ethnomethodology and grounded theory design, which was interpreted using Bourdieu’s theory of practice. We aimed to discover how participants interpreted their social worlds to create a sense of meaning in their everyday lives. The study was based on multistage focus group interviews with five adolescent participants at a specialist center for asthmatic children and youths. We took necessary precautions to protect the participants, according to the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki. The study protocol was approved by the Regional Committee for Medical Research Ethics and the hospital’s research department.ResultsThe core concept for asthmatic male adolescents was being men. They were focused on being nonasthmatic, and exhibited ambivalence towards the principles of the health services. Physical activity supported their aim of being men and being nonasthmatic, as well as supported their treatment goals. Being fearless, unconcerned, “cool,” and dependent also supported the aim of being men and being nonasthmatic, but not the health service principle of regular medication. Occasionally, the participants were asthmatic when they were not able to or gained no advantages from being nonasthmatic. Their practice of being men independently of being asthmatic emphasized their deeply gendered habits.ConclusionUnderstanding gender differences in living with and managing asthma is important for health workers. Knowledge of embodied gendered habits and their reproduction in social interactions and clinical work should be exploited as a resource during the supervision of asthmatic adolescent boys.

Experiences of living with asthma – a focus group study with adolescents and parents of children with asthma

“…They struggled with self-management balanced against a strong desire to interact socially with their friends. Such ambivalence was also shown in a study of adolescent boys with asthma, who described feeling disadvantaged because of their asthma, which contrasted with the statement that asthma was an insignificant part of their lives (153).…”

Pierre Bourdieu's Theory of Practice offers nurses a framework to uncover embodied knowledge of patients living with disabilities or illnesses: A discussion paper

“…Using Bourdieu's theory, researchers uncovered that negative bias of nurses and others contributed to the embodied knowledge of marginalization. As patients’ strengths and potentials were often unrecognized by health professionals, patients’ chances to cultivate relationships reduced, and patients’ opportunities to gain new competencies were limited (Cowdell, ; Edwards & Imrie, ; Gibson et al., ; Kelly, ; Thibodaux, ; Townsend, ; Westergren & Lilleaas, ).…”

“…Cowdell () found that people with dementia in an acute care setting experienced distress due to marginalization resulting from a negative image of people with dementia. Asthmatic male adolescents demonstrated ambivalence towards health care services because of a deeply embodied habitus of gendered practices (Westergren & Lilleaas, ). They sought to camouflage their diseases as a way to prevent society from viewing them as un‐masculine (Westergren & Lilleaas, ).…”

“…Asthmatic male adolescents demonstrated ambivalence towards health care services because of a deeply embodied habitus of gendered practices (Westergren & Lilleaas, ). They sought to camouflage their diseases as a way to prevent society from viewing them as un‐masculine (Westergren & Lilleaas, ).…”

“…Seven research teams demonstrated that a central struggle for patients with disabilities and illnesses is the embodied knowledge of marginalization (Cowdell, ; Edwards & Imrie, ; Gibson et al., ; Kelly, ; Thibodaux, ; Townsend, ; Westergren & Lilleaas, ). This may be further exacerbated when nurses and advanced nursing practice internalize a medical paradigm and would manage a patient by controlling access to knowledge and moving the patient through the medical system as an abnormal body and not as an individual experiencing illness or disability (Collyer et al., ; Nairn & Pinnock, ; Rhynas, ).…”