Narrative Processes and Well-being in the Context of Chronic Illness

The purpose of the current study was to broaden research on how narrative processes relate to well-being by examining narratives of an ongoing challenge in a novel context - living with a chronic health problem- as narrative researchers have focused primarily on discrete past events. By studying self-defining illness memories of a sample of midlife adults living with chronic health problems, I was able to examine the relation between narrative processes and well-being in the context of an ongoing event. Results indicate, as hypothesized, that both positive resolution and agency were associated with well-being. However, in contrast to my hypothesis, the narrative processes did not mediate the relation between physical health and well-being. These findings have implications both for the study of narrative processes as well as for individuals living with chronic health problems.