The illness experience at university: Narratives of students from the health field

Abstract

Issues that are part of students’ daily life are not limited to the ways in which they adapt to academic life; they also involve habits and changes related to health. The objective of this study was to analyze the illness experience of students enrolled in the Interdisciplinary Bachelor’s Degree in Health of the Federal University of Bahia. It is a qualitative study that used the technique of narrative interview. The research was carried out with students who became ill during academic education. Through the narratives, it was possible to perceive that the illness experience was mediated by health education and by the university institution, which plays two roles: it is a place that favors the contraction of diseases, but it is also a space that provides students with knowledge and reflection on the health-disease process and care.