Investigating Factors Related to Autoimmune Thyroid Disease Management

Abstract

Autoimmune Thyroid Disease (AITD) is a condition that quickly becomes chronic if not diagnosed and addressed promptly. It is one of the most prevalent health problems in the US. However, approximately 60% of those with AITD are unaware of their condition. Such an unawareness may be because many early AITD symptoms are mild and, therefore, are overlooked until the disease becomes acute. At this point, unfortunately, treatment may be too late. This is why early screening and more information on AITD are critical. Consequently, the gaps in the medical training and resources for AITD limit the effectiveness of health education interactions between the provider and patients. This limited effectiveness requires patients often to rely on informal support sources for knowledge about their disease and disease management strategies. Social network analysis (SNA) is both a theoretical framework and measurement approach that the provider can use to examine how the composition and structure of a patient’s social network are associated with their knowledge and management of AITD. By conducting a systematic literature review (SLR) and two SNA studies, I aim to explore individual and sociocultural factors in an AITD patients' personal network in this dissertation as they relate to the knowledge and management skills needed for AITD.