Christine Moffatt, PhD, MA, RGN, CBE,1,2 Aimee Aubeeluck, PhD, MSc, BA,3 Elodie Stasi, PhT,4 Sandrine Mestre, MD, PhD,2 Sara Rowan, MPhil,5 Susie Murray, MA,6 and Isabelle Que´re´, MD, PhD2. LYMPHATIC RESEARCH AND BIOLOGY Volume 17, Number 2, 2019

Main finding

• The study has shown that self-management of lymphedema for children and adolescents is complex and that visual art methods can capture some of the dilemmas that cannot easily be described through other research methods.
• There was evidence that there are many challenges they face in the daily routine of self-management that causes frustration and impinge on daily life for children and adolescents.
• The importance of relationships held with professionals was critical for children and their parents and was able to offset some of the difficulties they faced.
• There was evidence that many held a deep longing for the possibility of a cure and a recognition that their lives were altered by having the condition and this led to limitations in sport and wearing fashionable clothes and shoes.
• Children and adolescents face many frustrations in managing their condition in addition to the normal challenges of development and growth. Attempts to simplify self-management techniques would appear to be a key priority as would a greater understanding of the self-beliefs young people have of their ability to influence and control their condition and its impact on their life.