‘Hope as a lighthouse’ A meta‐synthesis on hope and hoping in different nursing contexts

Abstract

Background: Hope has a contextual dimension and experiences of hope seem to be an important part of everybody's life irrespective of changing and challenging health conditions. However, less focus has been placed on the similarities and differences in the experiences of hope among patients and family caregivers in different contexts of suffering and health, such as the nursing contexts of acute and critical care, rehabilitation and long-term care and prevention and health promotion. Aim: This paper focuses on experiences of hope and hoping in different clinical nursing contexts, based on a meta-synthesis of seventeen empirical studies on hope and hoping.These studies highlight experiences of hope and advance our theoretical and clinical understanding of the phenomenon.Methodological framework: This study on hope and hoping from seventeen empirical research studies was based on a meta-synthesis, by clarifying and modifying the essence of hope and hoping, aiming to identify the unique conditions in the different clinical contexts. Results: A new understanding of the empirical findings emerged from the text: Hope means transformation and hope is indispensable in the acute and critical nursing context, and hope as an inner flame and hope as a lighthouse related to rehabilitation and long-term care. Hope means pushing limits and expanding hope was experienced in the context of prevention and health promotion. Conclusions: According to the findings, dimensions of hope and hoping were always present but also influenced by contextual suffering and losses. Implications for practice: Hope means metaphorically a lighthouse, meaning a bright and shining centre, which must be promoted and protected in patients and their families.

Being Caught in a Vicious Circle

“…Despite creative and reflective discussions between the authors throughout the analysis process, some content in the subthemes may appear to be overlapping. However, human experiences are often intertwined and therefore it is not always possible to achieve mutually exclusive themes (Lindgren et al, 2020).…”

“…The interviews were analyzed by latent qualitative content analysis. This type of analysis is characterized by going beyond the actual words in the text and being open to the underlying depth and meaning conveyed by the participants' statements (Lindgren, Lundman, & Graneheim, 2020). The text was first read and reread to gain an overall impression, after which it was divided into meaning units in line with the aim of the study.…”

“…Those with similar content were thereafter sorted into subthemes. The underlying meaning of the findings resulted in an overarching main theme encompassing the latent message uniting all six subthemes (Lindgren et al, 2020) (Table 2). The analysis was performed by means of reflective discussions between three of the authors (B.W., S.L., and P.A.L).…”

Caring for family members following suicide: Professionals’ experiences of responsibility

“…Consolation relieves and alleviates suffering, as it awakens confidence and hope 22 , 23 , 27 , 35 Hope as ‘an inner flame’ gives strength to endure suffering, and hoping is a consoling experience. 36 In order to achieve a consoling dialogue, both the consoler and the sufferer must be ready for consolation. 35 Experiences in this study show that this can be demanding to achieve right after the suicide.…”

Waves of family hope: narratives of families in the context of pediatric chronic illness

“…Hope is an inherent resource of human experiences ( 9 ) . Several authors have explored the concept of hope, in different contexts and from different perspectives ( 8 , 10 - 12 ) . From the point of view of psychology, hope may be related to resilience ( 13 ) .…”