An ethnonursing study explored What is the meaning of hope (esperanza/esperar) to the Dominican people? What is the importance of the concept of hope to the people of the Dominican Republic? What are the universals and diversities in the meaning of hope for this cultural group and United States' (US) mainstream culture? Hope has been considered universal and recent research has demonstrated the effect of levels of hope or hopelessness on health. Nurse researchers have explored the meaning of hope to patients in the US and have developed instruments to measure levels of hope. However, little research has explored whether hope has different attributes in various cultural groups. From data gathered in a rural Dominican village, a definition of hope and its attributes were developed: 'Hope is an essential but dynamic life force that grows out of faith in God, is supported by relationships, resources and work, and results in the energy necessary to work for a desired future. Hope gives meaning and happiness'. This definition and its attributes were compared with definitions developed from research among mainstream US populations to propose universals and diversities of hope.
The purpose of this study was to explore the meaning of hope and generic caring practices to nurture hope among people of a rural village in the Dominican Republic. Ethnonursing methods were used to gather and analyze data from which a definition of hope for this group of people was developed: "Hope is an essential but dynamic life force that grows out of faith in God, is supported by relationships, resources and work, and results in the energy necessary to work for a desired future. Hope gives meaning and happiness." The information obtained also demonstrated that hope interacts with nearly all domains in the Sunrise Model. Generic care practices discovered among this population included working together, advising each other to work hard, and sharing hope itself. Implications for further research are discussed.
Purpose(1) This systematic review of nursing research from 1987 to 1999 was conducted to explore the factors people identify as supportive of hope, the interventions nurses use to support hope, and the congruence between these two sets of studies.
Conclusions(2) The factors supporting hope for patients and families found most frequently were social and professional support, cognitive strategies, spiritual or religious activities, relying on inner resources, and setting goals. Nurses used interventions to support families, assist with goal setting and distraction, affirm patient worth, and provide symptom relief. There was substantial congruence between people's needs and nursing actions. The main incongruence was the lack of interventions supporting spiritual practices.
Implications(3) Nurses should continue current practices to nurture hope in their patients and clients. In addition, nurses need to provide spiritual care as an intervention that supports hope. There is a need for further research on nursing interventions to stimulate hope as well as research to understand the differences and relationships among hope, hopelessness, coping, courage, wellbeing, and spirituality. Research to understand hope in cultures outside of the mainstream United States culture is also needed.
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