Relationships in Chronic Illness and Disability

This sensitive yet practical book explores challenges to adult close relationships that result from long-term illness and disability. The authors focus on illness and: relationship change; interpersonal supports and stressors; and relationship-focused coping.

This book . . . offers a critical review of literature on relationships and chronic illness. . . . This is a carefully constructed integration of a complex, multidisciplinary literature on the dynamic processes of relationships during long-term illness. It is essentially a scholarly work that builds a conceptual model. The authors′ use of case illustrations serves to ground and clarify the discussion. It is logical and clear. Both beginning and established scholars will find the book a highly useful resource. 5 stars! --Sara J. Knight in Doody′s Health Sciences Book Review Home Page "A recommended book for counselors and medical and academic libraries." --AIDS Book Review Journal How do relationships with friends, family, and couples change with the presence of chronic illness or disability? Adults face new relationship challenges when acquired health problems and disabilities begin to dominate their lives. Relationships in Chronic Illness and Disability explores the interpersonal issues that arise when relationships evolve under the challenges of chronic illness and disability. The authors provide a sensitive yet practical examination of three interactive relationship-illness processes: relationship change, supports and stressors, and relationship-focused coping. Interventions for nurturing close relationships under these difficult circumstances as well as issues of theory and method round out this much-needed volume. This volume from the Sage Series on Close Relationships adds to our understanding of illness-relationship processes and provides new information useful to professionals as well as researchers, students, and interns in social work, rehabilitation and occupational therapy, leisure studies and recreation, gerontology, psychology, nursing, and family studies.