The psychosocial impact of ptosis as a symptom of myasthenia gravis: A qualitative study

Richards, Hollie Sarah; Jenkinson, Elizabeth; Rumsey, Nichola; Harrad, Richard A.

Abstract

The aim of this qualitative study was to investigate the psychosocial impact of ptosis as a symptom of Myasthenia Gravis (MG). Participants were recruited from a MG patient group on Facebook. 166 participants answered a series of open ended questions examining the impact of ptosis, and responses were analysed using Inductive Thematic Analysis, which revealed four main themes. The first highlighted the extent to which ptosis impacted negatively on psychosocial functioning. The second related to ways in which ptosis can be framed in a positive way, eg, as a believable symptom. The final two themes revealed the complex inter-relationships between functional and appearance-related impacts, and a desire from many participants for health care professionals to provide more support directly related to their ptosis. This study suggests that ptosis impacts in ways not currently recognized in literature and practice. © 2014 Informa Healthcare USA, Inc. All rights reserved.

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Publication Date: Jan 1, 2014
• Deposit Date: Aug 12, 2015
• Journal: Orbit
• Print ISSN: 0167-6830
• Electronic ISSN: 1744-5108
• Publisher: Taylor & Francis
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 33
• Issue: 4
• Pages: 263-269
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.3109/01676830.2014.904375
• Keywords: appearance concern, health psychology, Myasthenia Gravis, ptosis, visible difference
• Public URL: https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/814194
• Publisher URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.3109/01676830.2014.904375
• Contract Date: Nov 15, 2016