Coping Behaviors of African Americans with Inflammatory Bowel Disease: A focused Ethnography

<p>Background: Increasing numbers of African Americans are being diagnosed with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in the United States (Dahlhamer, Zammitti, Ward, Wheaton, & Croft, 2016). Little is known about the influence of culture on coping with the disease. Method: Twelve African American adults with IBD were interviewed and observed using a focused ethnography. Results: Data analysis resulted in four major themes: (1) spending time living in the bathroom; (2) time and food restricted eating practices and cultural food avoidance; (3) dealing with a life full of stress; and (4) the practice of seclusion to promote health. Discussion: Participants described coping and culture. Their experiences were similar to other IBD populations except in the area of perceived stress. Opportunities exist for nursing and the community to assist this population with stressors related to bathroom access, their eating practices, and participating in activities outside of their homes.</p>

Name thesis:degree_name

PhD

Level thesis:degree_level

One-year Embargo

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Nursing

Year dc:date.available

2020

Author dc:creator

• Scott, Patricia

Contributors dc:contributor

• Joan Such Lockhart
• Karen E. Jakub
• Geoffrey C. Nguyen
• Eva M. Szigethy
• Rick Zoucha

• inflammatory bowel disease
• coping
• African Americans
• Other Nursing

Language dc:language

English

Repository record dc:identifier

https://dsc.duq.edu/etd/1896

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:dsc.duq.edu:etd-2906