scholarly journals ‘I no longer know that person’: Grief and loss in families living with someone using crystal methamphetamine

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dara Sampson ◽  
Milena Heinsch ◽  
Jenny Geddes ◽  
Richard Velleman ◽  
Gill Velleman ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Thematic Analysis ◽  
Family Members ◽  
Clinical Psychologist ◽  
Grief And Loss ◽  
Social Constructions ◽  
Disenfranchised Grief ◽  
Crystal Methamphetamine ◽  
Qualitative Thematic Analysis ◽  
The People ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Background: Although crystal methamphetamine (‘ice’) use is a large and growing worldwide problem, few research studies have explored the impact of crystal methamphetamine use on affected friends and family members. In order to inform the development of a Family and Friend Support Program for those affected by someone else’s use of ice, the experiences and narratives of family members and friends were explored. Methods: This paper reports on a subset of findings from a mixed method study, which sought to better understand the experiences of affected friends and family members of people using ice. Participants were recruited via a Facebook ad and asked to complete a survey outlining their experiences. At the end of the survey, participants were invited to be interviewed by the clinical psychologist on the research team, to discuss their experiences in greater depth. Seventeen people (out of the 39 who completed the survey) agreed to be interviewed. This paper is based on a qualitative thematic analysis of those seventeen interviews conducted with family members and friends of people using ice.Results: The thematic analysis highlighted common areas of concern and experience. Key themes emerged from the thematic analysis, namely loss, stigma, support (or lack thereof), ways of coping, and the value in sharing personal experiences. The pre-eminent theme was that of grief and loss. Concepts of ambiguous loss, disenfranchised grief, and narrative constructivist approaches to understanding loss were applied to the analysis of results. Loss was often compounded by social constructions and stigma attached to ice usage, which extended to the people caring for friends and family members as well. Conclusion: The experiences of the people interviewed in relation to a person in their life who was using ice, were complicated by social constructions of the drug itself. It emerged that this resulted in grief processes which were made more complex because of the stigma attached to the use of ice. These results warrant further clinical consideration and research.

scholarly journals Making Sense of an Unknown Terrain

2016 ◽  
Vol 27 (2) ◽  
pp. 215-225 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicholas D. Hughes ◽  
Louise Locock ◽  
Sue Simkin ◽  
Anne Stewart ◽  
Anne E. Ferrey ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Young People ◽  
Thematic Analysis ◽  
Sense Of Self ◽  
Family Members ◽  
Sense Making ◽  
Narrative Interviews ◽  
Considerable Effort ◽  
Making Sense ◽  
Self Harm ◽  
The Impact

Self-harm is common in young people, and can have profound effects on parents and other family members. We conducted narrative interviews with 41 parents and other family members of 38 young people, aged up to 25, who had self-harmed. Most of the participants were parents but included one sibling and one spouse. This article reports experiences of the parent participants. A cross-case thematic analysis showed that most participants were bewildered by self-harm. The disruption to their worldview brought about by self-harm prompted many to undergo a process of “sense-making”—by ruminative introspection, looking for information, and building a new way of seeing—to understand and come to terms with self-harm. Most participants appeared to have been successful in making sense of self-harm, though not without considerable effort and emotional struggle. Our findings provide grounds for a deeper socio-cultural understanding of the impact of self-harm on parents.

Empowering Diabetes Self-Management Through Technology and Nurse Health Coaching

2019 ◽  
Vol 45 (6) ◽  
pp. 586-595
Author(s):  
Sheridan Miyamoto ◽  
Stuart Henderson ◽  
Sarina Fazio ◽  
Bruno Saconi ◽  
Elizabeth Thiede ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Thematic Analysis ◽  
Intervention Study ◽  
Health Coaching ◽  
Self Management ◽  
Coaching Intervention ◽  
Qualitative Thematic Analysis ◽  
Technology Intervention ◽  
Mhealth Technology ◽  
The Impact

Purpose This research explores the impact of mobile health (mHealth) technology and nurse health coaching on views of diabetes self-management (DSM) for persons living with diabetes. Methods Three focus groups (N = 24) were conducted with individuals living with type 2 diabetes who participated in a nurse health coaching and mHealth technology intervention study. Qualitative thematic analysis was used to identify overarching themes in each group. Results Major themes identified following intervention participation included enhanced perspectives about living with diabetes, increased awareness of how health behaviors influence DSM, improved support, and increased ownership of DSM. Conclusions The themes identified suggest that the mHealth technology and health coaching intervention together may have had an empowering effect on participants’ DSM. These results suggest that providing nurse health coaching with mHealth technology may help individuals ameliorate some of the challenges of living with and managing diabetes.

scholarly journals Framing the COVID-19 Pandemic Through a Family Lens: Results of a Qualitative Thematic Analysis

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 889-889
Author(s):  
Lauren Gilbert ◽  
Omolola Adepoju ◽  
LeChauncy Woodard ◽  
Daniel Howard
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Thematic Analysis ◽  
Health Management ◽  
Family Members ◽  
Community Dwelling ◽  
Social Needs ◽  
Public Health Emergencies ◽  
Qualitative Thematic Analysis ◽  
Personal Experiences ◽  
Aging Populations

Abstract Background The growing proportion of older adults in the U.S. population tends to be most vulnerable to the effects of natural disasters such as pandemics. To date, little has been done to counteract the impacts of public health emergencies and disasters on the aging populations, particularly in African American and Latinx communities. Methods We administered a survey to community-dwelling minority older adults, 55+, in the Houston metroplex, between 11/2020 and 01/2021. The survey assessed how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted minority older adults. This thematic analysis focused on open-ended questions regarding daily health management, biggest health concerns, and personal experiences with COVID-19. Results A total of 575 older adults completed the survey. The mean age was 69 years, 74% were female, 71% reported English as their primary language and 27% were college educated. Three main themes of COVID-19 related concerns emerged from the thematic data analysis: 1) Fear of contracting COVID-19 from family members and fear of passing COVID-19 on to family members. 2) Social needs, including prolonged isolation from family/friends to stay safe, obtaining basic necessitates such as food, medications, and transportation . (3) Personal experiences focused on COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations, and deaths of family/community members. Conclusions These older minority adults framed their experiences and concerns regarding the COVID-19 pandemic through the lens of family and their community. Their personal relationships permeated their responses and demonstrate the importance of integrating a family lens into future disaster planning, response and recovery efforts for minority older adults.

scholarly journals Computers in the clinical encounter: a scoping review and thematic analysis

2016 ◽  
Vol 23 (3) ◽  
pp. 654-665 ◽  
Author(s):  
Noah H Crampton ◽  
Shmuel Reis ◽  
Aviv Shachak
Keyword(s):  
Best Practices ◽  
Thematic Analysis ◽  
Educational Interventions ◽  
Clinical Encounter ◽  
Building Relationships ◽  
Consultation Room ◽  
Qualitative Thematic Analysis ◽  
Full Text Review ◽  
Clinician Communication ◽  
The Impact

Objective Patient-clinician communication has been associated with increased patient satisfaction, trust in the clinician, adherence to prescribed therapy, and various health outcomes. The impact of health information technology (HIT) on the clinical encounter in general and patient-clinician communication in particular is a growing concern. The purpose of this study was to review the current literature on HIT use during the clinical encounter to update best practices and inform the continuous development of HIT policies and educational interventions. Methods We conducted a literature search of four databases. After removing duplicates, reviewing titles and abstracts, performing a full-text review, and snowballing from references and citations, 51 articles were included in the analysis. We employed a qualitative thematic analysis to compare and contrast the findings across studies. Results Our analysis revealed that the use of HIT affects consultations in complex ways, impacting eye contact and gaze, information sharing, building relationships, and pauses in the conversation. Whether these impacts are positive or negative largely depends on the combination of consultation room layout, patient and clinician styles of interaction with HIT as well as each other, and the strategies and techniques employed by clinicians to integrate HIT into consultations. Discussion The in-depth insights into the impact of HIT on the clinical encounter, especially the strategies and techniques employed by clinicians to adapt to using HIT in consultations, can inform policies, educational interventions, and research. Conclusion In contrast to the common negative views of HIT, it affects the clinical encounter in multiple ways. By applying identified strategies and best practices, HIT can support patient-clinician interactions rather than interfering with them.

scholarly journals Psychological and occupational impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on UK surgeons: a qualitative investigation

BMJ Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. e045699
Author(s):  
Tmam Abdulaziz Al-Ghunaim ◽  
Judith Johnson ◽  
Chandra Shekhar Biyani ◽  
Daryl O’Connor
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Thematic Analysis ◽  
Personal Lives ◽  
Home Life ◽  
Qualitative Thematic Analysis ◽  
Mental Health Interventions ◽  
Fear And Anxiety ◽  
Uk National Health Service ◽  
The Uk ◽  
The Impact

BackgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic represents the greatest biopsychosocial emergency the world has faced for a century. The pandemic has changed how individuals live and work, and in particular, frontline healthcare professionals have been exposed to alarming levels of stress.ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to understand the professional and personal effects of COVID-19 pandemic on surgeons working in the UK National Health Service (NHS).SettingSurgical departments in the NHS.DesignBetween May and July 2020, as part of an ongoing study, we asked surgeons two open-ended questions: ‘What challenges are the COVID-19 crisis currently presenting to you in your work and home life?’ and ‘How is this stress affecting you personally?’ Thematic analysis was used for the qualitative data. Responses to the second question were also categorised into four groups reflecting valence: positive, neutral, mildly negative and strongly negative.ResultsA total of 141 surgeons responded to the survey and the results indicated that 85.8% reported that they were generally negatively affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, of which 7.8% were strongly affected in a negative way. Qualitative thematic analysis identified four key themes from responses relating to the impact of the pandemic: (1) changing and challenging work environment as a result of COVID-19; (2) challenges to professional life and development; (3) management of change and loss in the respondents’ personal lives; (4) emotional and psychological impacts.ConclusionThe results highlighted the substantial emotional and psychological effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on surgeons’ mental health, particularly in relation to fear and anxiety, loss of motivation, low mood, stress and burnout. There is an urgent need for workplace support and mental health interventions to help surgeons cope with the difficulties they face during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

scholarly journals The Impact of Reverse Culture Shock on Gulliver’s Family Life

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 339-348
Author(s):  
Atteq ur Rahman ◽  
Sayed Zahid Ali Shah ◽  
Shakeel Khan
Keyword(s):  
Family Life ◽  
English Literature ◽  
Culture Shock ◽  
Family Members ◽  
Identity Crisis ◽  
Close Reading ◽  
Reverse Culture Shock ◽  
Gulliver's Travels ◽  
The People ◽  
The Impact

Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels has been one of the most fascinating works of English literature. It is its suggestive quality due to which it has been read in a variety of different perspectives. Twentieth century critics have read it in the light of different psychoanalytical approaches. This study focuses on an entirely different aspect i.e reverse culture shock. It analyzes the effects of reverse culture shock on Gulliver’s behavior and his interaction with his family through a close reading of the text of Gulliver’s Travels. Gulliver who suffers from an obvious identity crisis fails to cope with the readjustment problems at home after living among different hosts. After every subsequent re-entry, Gulliver’s behavior especially with his family members deteriorates. The imprints of his last hosts remain so deeply engraved on his mind that fails to live peacefully with his family members and has to live in isolation. This is where we can relate Gulliver to people who after living abroad fail to adjust with the people of their native society and family members.   

scholarly journals ‘The very first thing that connected us to him’: adopters’ experiences of sharing photographs, ‘talking’ albums and other materials with their children prior to meeting

2020 ◽  
Vol 44 (3) ◽  
pp. 225-241
Author(s):  
Jenny Blackmore ◽  
Gemma Burns ◽  
Cerith S Waters ◽  
Katherine H Shelton
Keyword(s):  
Thematic Analysis ◽  
Quantitative Data ◽  
Adoptive Parents ◽  
Grief And Loss ◽  
Adoptive Family ◽  
Early Indicator ◽  
Qualitative And Quantitative ◽  
Potential Impact ◽  
The Impact

Prospective adopters commonly share materials such as photographs of their family, ‘talking’ albums, DVDs, toys and blankets with their child prior to meeting them. This is often the first point of ‘introduction’ of the adoptive family to their child. The sharing of materials is also one of the earliest tasks in which foster carers and prospective adopters work together. This study investigates adopters’ experiences of sharing materials in the wider context of working with foster carers during these initial parent–child ‘introductions’. Thematic analysis of 24 interviews conducted with adoptive parents revealed three main themes: collaboration, familiarisation and connection. Further qualitative and quantitative data were subsequently gathered and analysed from surveys completed by 64 adoptive parents. Findings highlight the central role of the foster carer in preparing a child for a move to adoption, and the potential impact that the grief and loss experienced by a foster carer may have on this move. They also suggest that the sharing of materials could be an early indicator of a foster carer’s capacity to support a child’s transition to life with their adoptive family. Adopters’ perceptions of the impact of the materials, both at the time of introductions and their ongoing significance several years after placement, are explored.

Disenfranchised Grief and Nonfinite Loss as Experienced by the Families of Death Row Inmates

2007 ◽  
Vol 54 (4) ◽  
pp. 281-299 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sandra J. Jones ◽  
Elizabeth Beck
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Death Penalty ◽  
Death And Dying ◽  
Family Members ◽  
The United States ◽  
Grief And Loss ◽  
Disenfranchised Grief ◽  
Death Row ◽  
Loved One ◽  
Death Row Inmates

The families of death row inmates experience grief and loss issues that have been neglected by scholars and clinicians alike. The issues found in this population are unique and require our understanding. The present study uses the concepts of disenfranchised grief and nonfinite loss to uncover the pain experienced by the children and other family members who have a loved one on death row. Kenneth Doka's (1989) concept of disenfranchised grief is utilized to bring attention to the ways in which the circumstances surrounding an execution leave the family members of those condemned to death outside of the “grieving rules” that exist in the United States. Family members are disenfranchised from their grief, as society does not socially validate their pain. The loss that they feel is also nonfinite (Bruce & Schultz, 2001) in that it is continuous and denies the families all of the hopes, dreams, and expectations that they had for their loved one who now sits on death row. The qualitative interview method was utilized by the authors of this study to gather data from 26 family members of death row inmates who are incarcerated along the East Coast of the United States. The reactions of this group of family members are varied and complex, yet they include the following common responses: social isolation due to stigma and their own feelings of criminalization, intensified family conflict between family members who grieve differently from one another, diminished self-esteem, shame, diffused and specific feelings of guilt, and a chronic state of despair. This study explores virtually untapped terrain. An examination of the microlevel effects of the death penalty on families provides insight in to the area of death and dying, especially as it is related to disenfranchised loss and nonfinite grief. In addition, this study provides insight into the death penalty and its effects.

scholarly journals A Theoretical Study of the Hidden Wounds of War: Disenfranchised Grief and the Impact on Nursing Practice

ISRN Nursing ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 2011 ◽  
pp. 1-5 ◽  
Author(s):  
Janice A. Aloi
Keyword(s):  
Lived Experience ◽  
Combat Veterans ◽  
Meaning Making ◽  
Point Of Care ◽  
Social Constructionist ◽  
Grief And Loss ◽  
Civilian Life ◽  
Disenfranchised Grief ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Constructionist Theory

Combat veterans face enormous challenges upon the return to civilian life, one of which is the ability to integrate incidences of death and killing into a healthy postdeployment life. This paper presents the lived experience of grief and loss resulting from the trauma of war. Social constructionist theory, due to its emphasis on meaning-making, serves as the theoretical framework. The effects of inhibited mourning due to the inability to mourn in combat and lack of nurturing upon returning home are described. Personal excerpts derived from interviews of warfare from veterans that experienced death and killing are presented. It is suggested that combat veterans experience a unique form of grief and therefore require a style of grieving that differs from those that have not served on the battlefield. Regardless of the point of care, nurses are positioned to help with the challenges of readjustment. A better understanding of combat veterans as a disenfranchised group would enable nurses to intervene in ways that contribute to the readjustment process.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document