Psychosocial adjustment following relief of chronic XXXX .

@entity1 @entity16 @entity2724 @entity148 @entity302
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: No previous research has examined the psychosocial adjustment of chronic @entity2724 @entity1 following efficacious pharmacotherapy. In contrast, considerable research has examined the process of psychosocial adjustment following surgical relief of chronic @entity302 . This process can manifest as a clinical syndrome, the 'burden of normality', comprising psychological, behavioural, affective and sociological features. The aim of the present study was to characterise the process of psychosocial adjustment of @entity1 with successfully treated @entity2724 and to explore the applicability of the burden of normality. @entity1 AND METHODS: Thirty-three @entity2724 @entity1 and 31 @entity302 surgery @entity1 were recruited through routine outpatient follow-up at the Austin Hospital in Melbourne. All @entity1 underwent in-depth, qualitative psychosocial assessment using a well-validated semi-structured interview, the Austin CEP Interview. They were also administered quantitative measures of @entity148 (State Trait Anxiety Inventory) and depression (Beck Depression Inventory-II). RESULTS: @entity2724 @entity1 spontaneously reported similar themes of post-treatment adjustment to successfully treated @entity302 @entity1 , including symptoms of the burden of normality. Chi-squared analyses revealed that the two groups differed only on disease-specific factors, reflecting the later diagnosis and treatment of @entity2724 (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: The results support a general model of adjustment following successful treatment of chronic @entity16 , as the @entity1 discards perceptions of illness and behaviours associated with being 'sick' and learns to become 'well'. Recognition of the burden of normality has important clinical implications for maximising the post-treatment care and outcome of @entity2724 @entity1 .
