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Article: Adult adjustment to chronic illness: a review of the literature.
- Article from:
- Health and Social Work
- Article date:
- February 1, 1997
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1997 National Association of Social Workers. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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The term "chronic illness" carries several meanings and inexact definitions, making the term difficult to specify and its social impact complex to ascertain. The concept of chronic illness is a relatively new phenomenon. Historically, the U.S. health care delivery system has responded organizationally to crisis demands and acute episodes of illness (Somers, 1986). Because of gains in medical knowledge, pharmacological discoveries, and technical advances made in this century, average life expectancy has risen, and people live for months or years with diseases that previously would have quickly killed them (Lapham, 1986). By 1979 chronic illness was perceived as the primary ...