This exploratory study investigated the experiences of adolescents with Tourette Syndrome (TS) and its impact on their family, peers, school, self-concept and view of the future. The focus on adolescents was deliberate since TS typically emerges in childhood, with tics at their worst during adolescence. A qualitative analysis of eight semi-structured interviews was completed using a grounded theory approach to capture the main themes that emerged from the adolescents’ responses. The results of the study identified several main themes that these adolescents experienced which included: more adverse experiences with TS than positive ones, pervasive misconceptions about TS symptoms, a desire for more understanding of TS by the public, understanding and supportive families experiencing increased stress, academic challenges requiring accommodations, the active suppression of tics in school and in pubic, complex social interactions with peers, overall positive self-concepts impacted minimally by TS and a positive outlook on the future, fueled by resilience. These themes were thoroughly discussed within the context of existing research findings in the TS literature. The study’s limitations were also considered given its small sample size comprised exclusively of all adolescent males from a clinical population. Implications for future research were discussed and suggested that the scientific community recognize the importance of qualitative research in understanding what it means to live with TS and to design experiments that broaden this part of the literature to ensure that TS will be more thoroughly understood and treatment will become more holistic.
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Clinical Psychology
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Rutgers University Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Rutgers University. Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology
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Author Agreement License
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