Table II.
Anger, Anxiety, and Depression: Participants’ Understandings and Experiences (Examples)
| Age (years) | Sex | Diagnosis | Quote |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anger | |||
| 10 | M | JIA | Mad and nervous. That I cannot play football and all the sports I want to play. |
| 13 | F | Pain | It’s not like angry, like ANGRY. It’s like a low anger. I don’t think … ANGRY. |
| 14 | F | JIA | (When she is not in pain) Thinks back and wonders why she ever got mad about things (no audio). |
| 15 | M | JIA | I yell a lot, get a little more violent (yelling make you feel less angry?) Yes, but it’s not always the best thing I’ve found out recently. |
| 17 | M | Pain | I normally don’t let other people know that I’m angry. |
| Anxiety | |||
| 8 | F | Pain | (Does not understand word anxiety, nervous?) Like if you were in a choir from your school or church, and they told you, “you have a solo.” |
| 9 | F | JIA | Excited? Getting a shot, needles. Roller coaster ride. |
| 12 | F | JIA | Emotions, what you feel, how you are feeling. |
| 15 | M | JIA | I don’t really get nervous that much … , I’m pretty laidback, I don’t get nervous really. I don’t stress that much. |
| 16 | M | Pain | Um, fidgety, kind of can’t sit still. (Let others know you’re anxious?) I don’t really say anything. |
| 16 | F | JIA | In a rush to get things done. Can’t sleep when anxious, I can’t stop thinking about what’s going to happen. Not really as attentive, sitting still might be harder. |
| 18 | F | JIA | For me it’s like failure, feeling like you’re going to fail or upset something, or if you say the wrong thing, it might make somebody upset. |
| Depression | |||
| 10 | F | JIA | (Does not understand word depression, feeling down or blue?) Makes me think … feeling sad. I was sad on my birthday. I thought one of my friends were coming over but they weren’t. |
| 10 | M | JIA | Sad, nervous. When I first got arthritis … (and) when someone died. |
| 11 | F | Pain | Sad about something, and you get a little upset about it or you get mad and maybe a little angry or like quiet. I got an F. I got sad and mad, but after teacher told us that we could redo the test, I got a little more happy; (or) when my grandpa died. |
| 13 | F | Pain | Sometimes I’ll ask my siblings to go away and just let me be alone … or ask my mom to watch a movie with me to distract myself from the pain so I’m not as sad. |
| 14 | F | JIA | Friends can tell because she becomes quiet and stays to herself. Doesn’t tell others to avoid being “bugged” about it. Listens to hard rock music to feel better (no audio). |
| 15 | F | Pain | I’ll tell my mom, or just let it go, and do something I like to do (such as) play in the backyard or cut the grass. |
Note. JIA = juvenile idiopathic arthritis.