A Qualitative Exploration of the Experiences of Children and Adolescents with Tourette Syndrome.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the experiences of youth with Tourette Syndrome (TS). METHOD: Thirteen participants with TS were recruited from a large tertiary care hospital to complete semi-structured interviews and two questionnaires pertaining to demographic information and tic severity. Thematic analysis was utilized to systematically analyze the data. RESULTS: Three main themes were identified: 1) beliefs about TS; 2) TS related distress and impairment; and, 3) coping with TS. CONCLUSION: The findings from this study suggest that most participants were aware of their tics but unaware of the cause of tics/TS. The interviews also highlighted that, for most participants, TS caused emotional, social, physical, and/or occupational impairment. Despite their distress, participants provided several suggestions for coping with TS and for supporting those who are diagnosed with this condition.

OBJECTIF: Cette étude qualitative visait à explorer les expériences des adolescents souffrant du syndrome de Gilles de La Tourette (SGT). MÉTHODE: Treize participants souffrant du SGT ont été recrutés dans un grand hôpital de soins tertiaires pour répondre à des entrevues semi-structurées et à deux questionnaires portant sur les données démographiques et la gravité des tics. Une analyse thématique a servi à analyser systématiquement les données. RÉSULTATS: Trois thèmes principaux se sont dégagés: 1) les croyances sur le SGT; 2) la détresse et la déficience liées au SGT, 3) l'adaptation au SGT. CONCLUSION: Les résultats de cette étude suggèrent que la plupart des participants étaient conscients de leurs tics mais pas de la cause des tics et du SGT. Les entrevues ont aussi révélé que pour la plupart des participants, le SGT causait une déficience émotionnelle, sociale, physique, et/ou professionnelle. Malgré leur détresse, les participants ont fourni plusieurs suggestions pour s'adapter au SGT et soutenir ceux qui reçoivent un diagnostic de cette affection.

Humour-related interventions for people with mental illness: a randomized controlled pilot study.

This study explored the feasibility and effects of humour-related interventions for mentally ill adults. Twelve, randomly assigned, participated in each of 3 arms--stand up comedy training (the experimental arm), discussing comedy videos (the active control arm), and no humour-related intervention (the passive control arm). Quantitative and qualitative data were collected at baseline, end of interventions (3 months) and follow up (after another 3 months). Scale comparisons were largely negative, although self-esteem marginally increased in the experimental arm. Interview responses indicated benefits for the interventions, including improved self-esteem in the experimental arm. These results, though mixed, justify further study.