Grounded theory methods were used to study the experiences of 8 bereaved fathers whose children received care in a home-based hospice program. In-depth, unstructured interviews were audiotaped, transcribed, and coded for themes and categories. Every aspect of fathers' lives was affected by their experiences, which were described in metaphoric terms as living in a dragon's shadow. Fathers dealt with life in the dragon's shadow by battling the dragon (the illness)--the core social process. Battling was a conscious, active, continuous process that required strength, willpower, and work. Battling occurred within the context of fathers' experiences with fathering and fatherhood and was characterized by 3 aspects: battling with uncertainty, battling with responsibility, and battling with everyday disruption. Fathers were assisted by supportive work environments and by supportive relationships with health care providers. Unsatisfactory relationships with medical personnel compounded fathers' battling with life in the dragon's shadow.
The aim of this research is to examine the experience and impact of chemotherapy-related fatigue in recently diagnosed pediatric oncology patients. A repeated-measures, within-subjects, mixed (quantitative plus qualitative) design was used to prospectively assess fatigue during early chemotherapy cycles and to compare fatigue to depressive symptoms. Parental interviews collected concurrently were analyzed for descriptions of the child's fatigue and mood states and for strategies to cope with fatigue. Results indicated a significant correlation between fatigue and depression, but qualitative analyses suggested that the 2 phenomena may be unique and distinguishable. Qualitative analyses of parent interviews also identified specific strategies that were frequently used in response to high levels of fatigue. The findings illustrate the significant impact of chemotherapy-related fatigue in children being treated for cancer. The study also provides guidance for the assessment of fatigue and related symptoms and identifies specific strategies for coping with fatigue.
Menopause, a natural stage in a woman's reproductive life, is not an illness; yet some women experience severe enough symptoms to cause a breakdown in the body similar to illness or other major health disruptions. As part of a larger narrative analysis investigation of distress during menopause, this case study presents one woman's transformational journey through menopause, analysed through Frank's health and illness narratives -chaos, restitution and quest. The narratives were retranscribed using Labov's elements of a true story and Gee's poetic restructuring. This report of one woman's experience of distress during the menopause transition describes a poetic chaos narrative of incessant night sweats resulting in a loss of physicality and a deep-rooted belief in self-healing; a restitution narrative of restored health that mandated the surrender to a new healing discourse, experienced simultaneously as a victory and a defeat; and a quest narrative of seeking meaning, insight and new-found values and identities.
The goal of this interpretive phenomenological study is to describe and understand significant habits and practices developed by families bereaved from the sudden and unexpected loss of their children. Data were primarily collected through the interviewing of 15 family members in seven families. At least four interviews were conducted with each family. Family members were interviewed both together and separately. The analysis of the data illuminated the development of significant and meaningful family practices. These practices acknowledged the death of the children, integrated their loss into the everyday lives of these families, allowed for continuing connection, and were of utter importance as they contributed to family healing.
Experiences and symptoms emanating from the bereaved person's body are commonly considered to be psychosomatic reactions to loss. The lingering of such experiences is thought to reflect a maladaptive coping style that needs to be addressed to access the psychological pain underlying the symptoms. In this interpretive, phenomenological study of 15 family members in seven families who lost a child to sudden, unexpected death, stories of embodied grief are explored to further understand the grieving body. The findings of this study illuminate the many ways parents experience their grieving body and they underscore the importance of witnessing and acknowledging stories of the body in clinical work with bereaved parents who are learning to live in a world without their beloved child.
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