Gastroenterol Res

Gastroenterology Research, ISSN 1918-2805 print, 1918-2813 online, Open Access

Article copyright, the authors; Journal compilation copyright, Gastroenterol Res and Elmer Press Inc

Journal website https://www.gastrores.org

Short Communication

Volume 17, Number 3, June 2024, pages 146-149

The Transitioning From Pediatric to Adult Inflammatory Bowel Disease Services: A Qualitative Study of Adolescents and Their Parents

**Table 1.** Themes Emerging From Interviews With Adolescents and Their Parents
Adjustment to illness	“I was very sick, it was painful and I didn’t know what it was. I thought it was something really bad, I was scared, I didn’t know what it meant, had never heard of it … I didn’t know what this disease meant for my life … I was embarrassed … I couldn’t talk about it openly.” (Female, 19)
	“Yeah. It was a shock. Yeah. Yeah. You question: Why has it happened? How has it happened? … I’ll take all the pain … let him be pain free.” (Father)
Relationship with parents	“When I was 16 I made some close relationships with the nurses, because they got to know me quite well after seeing me for long periods, and I found that they really got me through those days in the hospital when my parents weren’t there, they sort of made up for that.” (Female, 19)
	“You know. We’ve had … we’ve had big talks … me and you have been through … more things than most dad/daughter would ever go through … I didn’t know what was going to happen to my daughter. I mean … they came speaking with me and my wife when … I thought she was going to die.” (Father)
Transitioning to adulthood	“It’s also I think me becoming more independent … It has … has helped [my parents] as well … because it … it gets them not to focus on me so much, but they can focus on themselves and their own lives, and … their own … whatever problems they might have.” (Male, 20)
	“These guys are all really friendly … like … but they’re … not as like … the nurses at pediatrics, who like … talked to you for ages and ages. They are not as busy over there … These guys sort of are just like … get the job done and like … move on.” (Female, 20)
	“[The doctor] was … incredibly warm and … and… reassuring and was always available to … explain things …” (Mother)
	“I’ve had to be a lot more independent and learn how to do things myself, and I’ve sort of stepped back into be an adult, I didn’t have to do that as much when my mum was around … it makes me feel pretty good to be able to do all of this at the age of 19.” (Female, 19)
	“I was a bit sad to see [my doctor] go because he’d helped me out so much … and if he ever wanted to know I could easily update him on how it was, but it was quite a sad separation because I’d spent so much time seeing him and he’d helped me a lot.” (Female, 19)
	“In my teen years … um … and I guess … yeah, when something, you know … gets me a bit down, like you know … my Crohn’s or … you know …it starts flaring up, [my mother] gets a bit worried.” (Male, 20)
	“I’ve finished high school and now I’m working, I really love it. I still live at home. I live with my mother father and brother. I’d like to move out and planning to do that soon. I’m a very private person, my mum is my best support, she comes with me to appointments still, even though I can do it myself it’s nice to have her there, she knows what the medications are.” (Female, 19)

Table 1. Themes Emerging From Interviews With Adolescents and Their Parents

Adjustment to illness

“I was very sick, it was painful and I didn’t know what it was. I thought it was something really bad, I was scared, I didn’t know what it meant, had never heard of it … I didn’t know what this disease meant for my life … I was embarrassed … I couldn’t talk about it openly.” (Female, 19)

“Yeah. It was a shock. Yeah. Yeah. You question: Why has it happened? How has it happened? … I’ll take all the pain … let him be pain free.” (Father)

Relationship with parents

“When I was 16 I made some close relationships with the nurses, because they got to know me quite well after seeing me for long periods, and I found that they really got me through those days in the hospital when my parents weren’t there, they sort of made up for that.” (Female, 19)

“You know. We’ve had … we’ve had big talks … me and you have been through … more things than most dad/daughter would ever go through … I didn’t know what was going to happen to my daughter. I mean … they came speaking with me and my wife when … I thought she was going to die.” (Father)

Transitioning to adulthood

“It’s also I think me becoming more independent … It has … has helped [my parents] as well … because it … it gets them not to focus on me so much, but they can focus on themselves and their own lives, and … their own … whatever problems they might have.” (Male, 20)

“These guys are all really friendly … like … but they’re … not as like … the nurses at pediatrics, who like … talked to you for ages and ages. They are not as busy over there … These guys sort of are just like … get the job done and like … move on.” (Female, 20)

“[The doctor] was … incredibly warm and … and… reassuring and was always available to … explain things …” (Mother)

“I’ve had to be a lot more independent and learn how to do things myself, and I’ve sort of stepped back into be an adult, I didn’t have to do that as much when my mum was around … it makes me feel pretty good to be able to do all of this at the age of 19.” (Female, 19)

“I was a bit sad to see [my doctor] go because he’d helped me out so much … and if he ever wanted to know I could easily update him on how it was, but it was quite a sad separation because I’d spent so much time seeing him and he’d helped me a lot.” (Female, 19)

“In my teen years … um … and I guess … yeah, when something, you know … gets me a bit down, like you know … my Crohn’s or … you know …it starts flaring up, [my mother] gets a bit worried.” (Male, 20)

“I’ve finished high school and now I’m working, I really love it. I still live at home. I live with my mother father and brother. I’d like to move out and planning to do that soon. I’m a very private person, my mum is my best support, she comes with me to appointments still, even though I can do it myself it’s nice to have her there, she knows what the medications are.” (Female, 19)