School Nurses' Experiences Working With Students With Mental Health Problems: A Qualitative Study.

The aim was to describe school nurses' experiences working with students with mental health problems. In this inductive qualitative study, interviews were conducted with 14 school nurses in Sweden. The content analysis revealed three themes: (1) sense of worriedness about working with students with mental health problems, (2) taking care of students with mental health issues was an opportunity for personal and professional development, and (3) the experience of making a difference for young people with mental health problems. The school nurses working with students who have mental health problems had to cope with their own emotions, worries, and feelings of insufficiency. However, the school nurses also found the work to be meaningful and rewarding because they appreciated the opportunity for personal and professional development while taking care of students with mental health problems. They felt grateful for having a profession that had a huge impact on children's/adolescents' lives.

Upholding an ideal image of palliative work in the face of obstacles.

OBJECTIVE:: Homecare workers play a pivotal role in palliative care, but research on their experiences is limited. The aim of this study was to describe how homecare workers in Sweden experience their work in palliative homecare. METHOD:: This qualitative study used open-ended interviews with a purposive sample of 15 homecare workers. The data was analysed by means of qualitative content analysis. RESULTS:: One main theme emerged from the analysis: upholding an ideal image of palliative work. This had four subthemes: doing good; doing their best work; feeling work satisfaction; and facing difficulties. CONCLUSION:: Palliative care performed by homecare workers is demanding. Homecare workers need more practical support and would benefit from a care model that involves working with registered nurses, as a team, to provide humanistic care to dying patients and their relatives.

Self-Reported Needs for Care, Support and Treatment of Persons Who Frequently Visit Psychiatric Emergency Rooms in Sweden.

AIM: To investigate self-reported needs for care, support and treatment among persons who frequently visit psychiatric emergency rooms (PERs). DESIGN: A cross-sectional design. Qualitative and quantitative data were collected using an interview-based manual. Qualitative data were analysed using content analysis, whereas quantitative data were analysed using descriptive, non-parametric statistical tests. RESULTS: Persons who frequently visit PERs self-reported unmet needs for care, support and treatment in life domains such as health, socialisation, daytime activities, and emotional and financial security. CONCLUSION: To meet the needs of persons who frequently visit PERs, close cooperation between concerned welfare actors should be implemented.

Experiences of everyday life in men with alcohol dependency--a qualitative study.

The aim of the present study is to describe and understand the meaning of living with alcohol dependency (AD) as a man. Studies point out a high prevalence of AD in men and the reasons for, and consequences of, that are complex. However, today there is a lack of knowledge about men's lived experiences of having AD. In-depth interviews were conducted with 15 alcohol dependent men and analyzed using a phenomenological-hermeneutic approach. In the comprehensive understanding, findings from the naïve understanding and the structural analysis were interpreted with help from both gender and caring theoretical perspectives. "A Fallible Man" and "A Man with Powerfulness" were disclosed as two main gender formations influencing senses of well-being. A Fallible Man involved varying experiences of restrictions, being in control, and meaninglessness. Being in control promoted a sense of well-being. A Man with Powerfulness involved energetic activity, and the development and maintaining of interests as well as risk-taking. Being powerful diminished feelings of meaninglessness, cravings, and social alienation. The results show, among other things, that the men live an incompatible life and, because of that, need support and guidance to find a more meaningful life. This can be accomplished if caregivers allow men to be in focus and involved in planning their own care. To avoid limiting the men while they are in treatment, the health care professionals also need to focus on the men's everyday life. This focus involves acknowledging the men's individual experiences of what enriches and limits their everyday lives.

Experiences of health-promoting self-care in people living with rheumatic diseases.

AIM: This paper is a report of a study that explores and describes the meaning of the phenomenon of health-promoting self-care as experienced by people living with rheumatic diseases. BACKGROUND: People with rheumatic diseases estimate health status as low and health belief and health status influence self-care behaviours. Several self-care behaviours are used in the efforts to mitigate the diseases. METHOD: The study had a descriptive phenomenological approach based on a reflective life-world perspective. Data were gathered in 2007 by unstructured open-ended interviews with 12 individuals living with rheumatic diseases. FINDINGS: The meaning of health-promoting self-care as experienced by people living with rheumatic diseases was that self-care takes place against a background of continual hope and belief to influence health in positive ways. Self-care was a way of life and implied being ready to understand and respond to signals from the body. Three inter-related constituents elucidated their experiences: dialogue, power struggle and choice. Self-care was experienced as dialogues with the body and with the immediate environment. In order to respond to signals from the body, power struggles were required to be entered into when fighting the diseases. Choices were required to be made and things that were beneficial for the body were prioritized. CONCLUSION: In this study, the meaning of health-promoting self-care as experienced by people living with rheumatic diseases was that self-care was a way of life. This meant to be ready to understand and respond to signals from the body. Self-care required dialogues, power struggles and choices.

Women's experiences of caring when in treatment for alcohol dependency.

Despite the fact of increased levels of alcohol dependency in women and gender differences in how the disease affects men and women, the research on alcohol dependency continues to have a dominating perspective on men. The meaning of the phenomenon of caring in formal care for women with alcohol dependency is not well known. Thus, formal caregivers may find it problematic to know what is caring for women with alcohol dependency. The aim of the study was to illuminate the meaning of caring in formal care for women with alcohol dependency, as narrated by the women. The study was performed using a phenomenological-hermeneutic method. Data were collected in ten in-depth interviews with alcohol-dependent women. The themes presented are availability, being a patient and being a learner. The findings reveal that the women with alcohol dependency receiving a mandate from formal care, experience the relation between them and their caregiver as a mutual transformation. Within the mutual transformation, the participants experienced being respected as a responsible human being which renders possibilities for the women with alcohol dependency to continue in formal care even when the struggle against the disease became hard. Continual meetings with the caregiver allowed the women to gain structure in their daily life as well as allowing the women and their caregivers to develop mutual transformation, which both relieved the women's suffering and increased their experience of being involved in the care process.