Use of Social Comparisons in Interviews About Young Adults’ Experiences of Chronic Illness

Abstract

In this article I examine how young adults used social comparisons in research interviews about their experiences of chronic illness. The interviews were originally conducted not only to provide data for academic analysis but also to generate experiential accounts for publication online as part of an Internet-based health information resource for patients, professionals, and the public wanting to learn about people’s real-life experiences of illness in the United Kingdom. Through secondary analysis of these data, I show how the young adults used various social comparisons to represent themselves and their experiences to the target audience. Two new concepts—analogues and foils—are introduced to describe how the young adults likened themselves to, and contrasted themselves with, different reference groups in their accounts. Through these and related strategies, they created positive renditions of their experiences for the audience, helping to inform and support others in the process.

‘Rule your condition, don't let it rule you’: young adults’ sense of mastery in their accounts of growing up with a chronic illness

“…They saw their condition as a potential threat to their autonomy or freedom to live their lives unconstrained by their condition. In their accounts they often used social comparisons to illustrate how their lives had or had not been changed by their condition (Heaton ). For example, some compared their lives to their non‐disabled friends and peers to show that they had managed to do the same things as them.…”

Understanding the psychosocial impact of joint hypermobility syndrome and Ehlers–Danlos syndrome hypermobility type: a qualitative interview study

“…Several participants described these fears as leading to catastrophizing and feelings of panic when faced with new symptoms, in case this signified their own decline [56]. In addition, when people make social comparisons to others in the same chronic illness group there is a risk that other support group members' decline could be interpreted as a representation of their own future, resulting in negative feelings [57,58,59,60]. Due to the hereditary nature of the condition, this is particularly relevant to children whose parents also have JHS/EDS-HT.…”

Finding ways to carry on: stories of vulnerability in chronic illness

“…The experiences of living normal lives despite chronic illnesses, or at least the informants’ wishes to live as normally as possible, are pointed to as essential (Gjengedal & Hanestad, 2003 ; Gloria & Acorn, 2000 ). Being normal is an identity work for people living with chronic illnesses (Heaton, 2015 ). Heaton ( 2015 ) explored how young adults used social comparisons in their experiences with chronic illnesses.…”

“…Being normal is an identity work for people living with chronic illnesses (Heaton, 2015 ). Heaton ( 2015 ) explored how young adults used social comparisons in their experiences with chronic illnesses. By comparing and contrasting themselves to others and to their younger selves, the informants of this study created positive interpretations of their experiences.…”