ARTICLE
23 October 2026

Family Resilience Experiences in Adolescents with Inflammatory Bowel Disease: A Qualitative Study

Hanyi Ning1 ,  Xiao Le1 ,  Qunfang Miao1,2* ,  Xiang Li1 ,  Lulu Yang1
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1 School of Nursing, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou 311121, Zhejiang, China
2 Department of Psychiatry,The Affiliated Hospital of Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou 310000, Zhejiang, China
JCNR 2026 , 10(9), 250–261; https://doi.org/10.26689/JCNR.v10i9.15826
© 2026 by the Author(s). Licensee: Bio-Byword Scientific Publishing Pty Ltd, Australia. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ )
Abstract

Objective: To explore the experiences of family resilience among adolescents with Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD), in order to provide a foundation for the development of effective clinical nursing intervention programs. Methods: Twenty-two adolescents with IBD were recruited using purposive sampling. In-depth, semi-structured interviews were conducted between July and August 2025. Interview data were analyzed using Colaizzi’s seven-step method. Results: Four themes and ten subthemes were identified: (1) family stress and challenges brought by IBD, including changes in the family environment, imbalanced family communication, and pressure associated with acute symptoms; (2) family support, including a sense of security, empowerment for personal growth, and emotional connection; (3) support outside the family, including online connections and social support; and (4) growth through adversity, including reshaped family health values and strengthened family cohesion. Conclusion: Healthcare professionals should place great emphasis on the negative impacts of IBD and actively utilize various support systems to enhance patients’ positive emotional experiences, thereby helping patients and their families achieve effective adjustment and adaptation.

Keywords
Inflammatory bowel disease
Adolescents
Family resilience
Social support
Qualitative research.
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Conflict of interest
The authors declare no conflict of interest.
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