Reminiscence functions and their relation to post-traumatic cognitions and well-being in young adults with chronic diseases

This study aimed to show that reminiscence functions are an important factor for the post-traumatic growth and psychological well-being in young adults with chronic illnesses. Though, there is various researches investigating the effect of reminiscence functions on psychological well-being, surprisingly there is no research investigating the effect of reminiscence functions on post-traumatic growth in sample who are young adults with chronic illnesses. The present research had two studies. In the Study I, Reminiscence Functions Scale (RFS) (Webster, 1993) was adapted. 420 participants who are 18-39 years of age completed RFS, Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), Beck Hopelessness Scale (BHS), Ruminative Thought Style Questionnaire (RTSQ), and Life Satisfaction Scale (LSS) for adaptation process. The confirmatory factor analysis results present a factorial structure comprising seven factors which are reflective, death preparation, intimacy maintenance, boredom reduction, bitterness revival, teach/inform, and conversation and adequate reliability scores (from 0.83 to 0.91). In the study II, 65 young adults who are 18-25 years of age with chronic illness completed RFS, Hospital Anxiety-Depression Scale (HADS), and Post-Traumatic Growth Inventory (PTGI). The results showed that reflective function has significant effect on post-traumatic growth, death preparation and teach/inform have significant effect on anxiety, and teach/inform and intimacy maintenance have significant effect on depression. The current study provides a rich base of information for ways to further enhance the therapeutic power of reminiscence-based intervention for young adult patients who have chronic illness.