Patterns of disruptions: Complexities of discursive-embodied triggers and resilience responses of individuals with autoimmune diseases

ABSTRACT

Individuals with autoimmune diseases face a multiplicity of adverse disruptions throughout their lives that can span physical, emotional, social, and financial contexts. We employed the communication theory of resilience as a theoretical framework to explore how individuals with an autoimmune disease construct the connections between triggers and communicative resilience responses within their narratives. Utilizing abductive analysis, we identified four overarching trigger patterns: (1) linear, (2) cyclical, (3) compounding, and (4) branching. In examining the triggers and health journeys of individuals with autoimmune diseases, we can practically aid physician communication approaches for patients with complex symptomologies, diagnostic journeys, and trigger patterns.

KEYWORDS:

• Autoimmune diseases
• communication theory of resilience (CTR)
• triggers
• resilience
• embodied narratives

Acknowledgements

We thank Dr Patrice M. Buzzanell (University of South Florida) and Dr Ambar Basu (University of South Florida) for their guidance and support. We also thank all our participants for their vulnerability and impactful stories.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).