Research on independent living of young adults with pediatric diseases and their social support

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Objectives(1)To examine challenges of circumstances and difficulties in independent living for young adults with pediatric diseases, such as childhood cancer survivors, insulin dependent diabetes mellitus patients and congenital heart disease patients.(2)To establish guideline of social support for young adults with pediatric diseases and to make a guide book for adolescents with pediatric diseases to prepare for independent living.Procedure(1)Some questionnaires were made to examine challenges of circumstances and difficulties in independent living of young adults and social support. One questionnaire was for pediatricians, one for teachers of special schools for the health impaired, one for adult patients and the other for undergraduates.(2)Questionnaires were delivered for 1000 subjects.(3)Semi-constructed interviews with subjects who agreed with interviews were performed.(4) Symposiums on guideline of social support for young adults with pediatric diseases and working group to make a guide book for adolescents with pediatric diseases were held.Results(1)567 answers of questionnaires were collected. Adolescents and young adults with pediatric diseases had many challenges for proceeding to higher levels of education, employments and marriages. In some ways the images of independent living of young adults with pediatric diseases were significantly different from those of undergraduates.(2)Teachers of special schools for the health impaired supported less for young adults than pediatricians.(3)Information, which encourages young adults to ask for advice, should be provided for them before they think advice is needed.(4) The guideline of social support for adolescents and young adults with pediatric diseases and a guide book for adolescents with pediatric diseases to prepare for independent living were established. These documents can be downloaded from http://homepage1.nifty.com/k_tanigawa/carryover.html.