Abstract
The purpose of this study was to investigate whether narrative identity challenges are specific to Bipolar Disorder (BD) as a mental illness or a reflection of living with chronic illness. Nineteen individuals diagnosed with BD, 29 individuals diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus (T1DM) and 25 controls without chronic mental or somatic illness identified past and future life story
chapters which were self-rated on emotional tone and self-event connections and contentcoded for agency and communion themes. Individuals with BD self-rated their past chapters as more negative and less positive, and their chapters were lower on content-coded agency and communion themes compared to T1DM and controls. There were fewer group differences for future chapters, but BD was associated with lower self-rated positive emotional tone and self-stability connections as well as lower content-coded agency and communion themes. The results indicate that narrative identity is affected in individuals with
BD above and beyond the consequences of living with chronic illness. This may reflect distinct effects of mental versus somatic illness on narrative identity.
chapters which were self-rated on emotional tone and self-event connections and contentcoded for agency and communion themes. Individuals with BD self-rated their past chapters as more negative and less positive, and their chapters were lower on content-coded agency and communion themes compared to T1DM and controls. There were fewer group differences for future chapters, but BD was associated with lower self-rated positive emotional tone and self-stability connections as well as lower content-coded agency and communion themes. The results indicate that narrative identity is affected in individuals with
BD above and beyond the consequences of living with chronic illness. This may reflect distinct effects of mental versus somatic illness on narrative identity.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Journal | Memory |
| Volume | 32 |
| Issue | 7 |
| Pages (from-to) | 819-832 |
| Number of pages | 14 |
| ISSN | 0965-8211 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Jul 2024 |
Keywords
- Bipolar disorder
- diabetes mellitus
- life story chapters
- mental illness
- narrative identity
- somatic illness