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Abstract Details
Selecting a theoretical framework to explore the social and cognitive uncertainty that hepatitis C treatment represents for people who inject drugs
Appl Nurs Res. 2020 Aug 3;151339. doi: 10.1016/j.apnr.2020.151339. Online ahead of print.
Greg Carlson1, Tracy E Crane2, Ruth E Taylor-Piliae3
Author information
1The University of Arizona, College of Nursing, Tucson, AZ, United States of America. Electronic address: gregcarlson@email.arizona.edu.
2The University of Arizona, College of Nursing, Tucson, AZ, United States of America. Electronic address: tecrane@email.arizona.edu.
3The University of Arizona, College of Nursing, Tucson, AZ, United States of America. Electronic address: rtaylor@nursing.arizona.edu.
Abstract
Emerging research models for hepatitis C eradication suggest a social network-based treatment approach among people who inject drugs. It is essential for nurses to critically examine the influence of these social networks among people who inject drugs and the impact on their hepatitis C treatment decisions. The purpose of this paper is to describe the process of selecting a theoretical framework to guide a mixed methods study exploring the perceived uncertainty of individual hepatitis C treatment behaviors existing within the social networks of people who inject drugs. Using Walker and Avant's framework for theory analysis, four established theories and models from nursing science and psychology were reviewed. Aspects of both the Social Cognitive Theory and Uncertainty in Illness Theory were combined to form a theoretical framework, the Socio-Cognitive Uncertainty Model. This new theoretical framework describes the social and cognitive uncertainty that hepatitis C virus treatment represents for people who inject drugs. Taken together, social influence and social selection can inform the nurse's understanding of hepatitis C treatment acceptability among this high-risk social network- an important consideration in the pursuit of disease eradication.