Kids with special hearts: the experience of children with congenital heart disease at Camp Willowood

Abstract

While camps may enhance the psychological well-being of children with congenital heart disease, there is an absence of qualitative research in Canada. In this phenomenological ideographic analysis, the experiences of 15 youth with heart disease at Camp Willowood in Ontario, Canada were studied. Camp allowed youth to engage in free, unrestricted movement in a natural environment and forge friendships with others that share similar medical biographies. Social media allowed youth to maintain camp friendships over time. Through the humanity of an interpretive phenomenological lens, this study potentially illuminates the psychological processes at play when youth with heart disease attend camp.

Keywords:

• youth
• chronic illness
• children
• health psychology
• qualitative methods