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Hadeei S. Development and Validation of a New Measurement Scale for Existential Loneliness. Assessment 2024; 31:1100-1113. [PMID: 37876135 DOI: 10.1177/10731911231204831] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2023]
Abstract
This article deals with the development and initial validation of the Existential Loneliness Scale (ELS). An initial pool of 40 items, generated based on literature review, qualitative studies, and previously developed scales, was evaluated by the experts' judgment, so 30 items were retained and then administered to an Iranian sample of 433 youth and adult participants aged 20 to 85 years. Participants also completed other measures relevant for construct validity: Existential Loneliness Questionnaire (ELQ), De Jong Gierveld Loneliness Scale (DJGLS-6), Existential Anxiety Questionnaire (EAQ), Meaning in Life Questionnaire (MLQ), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-13), and Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS). Exploratory factor analysis and parallel analysis showed strong evidence of unidimensionality. This result was also supported by confirmatory factor analysis test. Finally, 19 items were kept, which were free from DIF by gender and by marital status. The scale had high internal consistency (α = .95 and ω = .95) and adequate test-retest reliability with a 1-month interval (r = .74). Examination of the ELS' correlation with criterion measures indicated that the scale has good concurrent, discriminant, and convergent validity. Findings revealed the ELS as a reliable, valid, and suitable instrument to measure existential loneliness in the Iranian adult population.
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van Dieën MSH, Paans W, Mariani MA, Dieperink W, Blokzijl F. A qualitative study of the experiences and perceptions of older patients and relatives prior to cardiac surgery. Heart Lung 2024; 65:40-46. [PMID: 38395007 DOI: 10.1016/j.hrtlng.2024.02.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2023] [Revised: 01/30/2024] [Accepted: 02/06/2024] [Indexed: 02/25/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Shared decision-making plays an important role in ensuring value-based healthcare in cardiac surgery. However, the personal situations of patients in cardiac care have not been widely explored, and thus, little is known about the decision-making experiences of patients and their relatives before surgery. OBJECTIVE To explore the perceptions of patients indicated for cardiac surgery and their relatives during the decision-making process, as well as their experiences of a conversation aimed at achieving shared decision-making in the treatment trajectory. METHODS The data were collected through semi-structured in-depth interviews with patients aged ≥70 years who were indicated for cardiac surgery and their relatives until theme saturation. Both inductive and deductive analysis were conducted based on the principles of reflexive thematic analysis. RESULTS Interviews with 16 patients and 10 relatives provided in-depth insights into the experiences of patients and their relatives in terms of a shared decision-making process prior to surgery. Overall, 15 subthemes were identified, and these were divided into three themes. In general, the patients' experiences and perceptions were influenced by their (1) general daily functioning. The relatives were more concerned about (2) social expectations and (3) existential uncertainty. CONCLUSIONS Patients eligible for cardiac surgery and their families have unique experiences and perceptions during the process of shared decision-making. The subthemes emerging from this study, such as the overestimation of potential medical outcomes by patients and their relatives, who experience fear about the current health situation of their loved one, require careful attention from healthcare professionals during decision-making conversations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Milou S H van Dieën
- Hanze University of Applied Sciences, School of Nursing, Research Group Nursing Diagnostics, Petrus Driessenstraat 3 9714 CA Groningen, The Netherlands; University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Hanzeplein 1 9713 GZ Groningen, The Netherlands.
| | - Wolter Paans
- Hanze University of Applied Sciences, School of Nursing, Research Group Nursing Diagnostics, Petrus Driessenstraat 3 9714 CA Groningen, The Netherlands; University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Department of Critical Care, Hanzeplein 1 9713 GZ Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Massimo A Mariani
- University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Hanzeplein 1 9713 GZ Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Willem Dieperink
- Hanze University of Applied Sciences, School of Nursing, Research Group Nursing Diagnostics, Petrus Driessenstraat 3 9714 CA Groningen, The Netherlands; University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Department of Critical Care, Hanzeplein 1 9713 GZ Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Fredrike Blokzijl
- Hanze University of Applied Sciences, School of Nursing, Research Group Nursing Diagnostics, Petrus Driessenstraat 3 9714 CA Groningen, The Netherlands; University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Department of Critical Care, Hanzeplein 1 9713 GZ Groningen, The Netherlands
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Eppel-Meichlinger J, Mayer H, Steiner E, Kobleder A. From existential uncertainty to a new mindset promoting recovery: Exploring the development of uncertainty experience in women with vulvar neoplasia - A qualitative longitudinal study. BMC Womens Health 2024; 24:35. [PMID: 38218781 PMCID: PMC10788007 DOI: 10.1186/s12905-024-02889-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2023] [Accepted: 01/06/2024] [Indexed: 01/15/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Women with vulvar neoplasia continue to experience uncertainty up to six months post-surgery. Uncertainty in illness is considered a significant psychosocial stressor, that negatively influences symptom distress, self-management strategies and quality of life. According to the Reconceptualized Uncertainty in Illness Theory, the appraisal of uncertainty changes positively over time in chronic illness. We aimed at exploring whether and how the experience of uncertainty develops in women with vulvar neoplasia. METHODS We selected a purposive sample of seven women diagnosed with vulvar neoplasia in four Swiss and one Austrian women's clinic. By means of a qualitative longitudinal study, we conducted 30 individual interviews at five points of time during one year after diagnosis. We applied Saldaña's analytical questions for longitudinal qualitative research. RESULTS First, participants experienced uncertainty as an existential threat, then an inherent part of their illness, and finally a certainty. Women initially associated the existential threat with a high risk for suffering from severe health deteriorations. Participants that could reduce their individually assessed risk by adopting health promoting behaviors, accepted the remaining uncertainty. From now on they reframed uncertainty into a certainty. This new mindset was based on a belief of promoting recovery and reducing the risk of recurrence. CONCLUSIONS The long-lasting and oscillating nature of uncertainty should receive attention in supportive oncology care. Uncertainty concerning existential issues is of special importance since it can inhibit a positive development of uncertainty experience.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jasmin Eppel-Meichlinger
- Department of General Health Studies, Division Nursing Science with focus on Person-centred Care Research, Karl Landsteiner University of Health Sciences, Dr. Karl-Dorrek-Straße 30, Krems, Austria.
- Vienna Doctoral School of Social Sciences, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
| | - Hanna Mayer
- Department of General Health Studies, Division Nursing Science with focus on Person-centred Care Research, Karl Landsteiner University of Health Sciences, Dr. Karl-Dorrek-Straße 30, Krems, Austria
| | - Enikö Steiner
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Vienna General University Hospital, Vienna, Austria
| | - Andrea Kobleder
- Institute of Applied Nursing Science, Eastern Switzerland University of Applied Sciences, St.Gallen, Switzerland
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Akkuş Y, Menekli T. Determining the Relationship Between Intolerance of Uncertainty and Attitudes Toward Complementary and Alternative Medicine in Patients With Cancer. Holist Nurs Pract 2023; 37:277-284. [PMID: 37595120 DOI: 10.1097/hnp.0000000000000600] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/20/2023]
Abstract
Disease-related uncertainty and the factors associated with uncertainty in patients with cancer have not been adequately investigated. This study aimed to determine the relationship between intolerance of uncertainty and attitudes toward complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) in patients with cancer. This cross-sectional descriptive study included 351 patients treated in the oncology clinic of a university hospital. All participants completed the Holistic Complementary and Alternative Medicine Questionnaire (HCAMQ) and the 12-item Intolerance of Uncertainty Scale (IUS-12). Most patients (84.3%) said that they had information about CAM, 39.7% reported obtaining this information from their social environment, 83.2% said that they believed that CAM methods are effective, and 76.0% reported not telling health care professionals about their CAM use. Mean IUS-12 and HCAMQ total scores were 46.53 ± 2.05 and 32.11 ± 2.32, respectively, and showed a weak negative correlation. The patients in our study showed high intolerance of uncertainty and a moderately positive attitude toward CAM, and most patients did not notify health care professionals of their CAM use. Therefore, we recommend assessing intolerance of uncertainty and CAM use in this patient group. By identifying patients experiencing uncertainty and seeking different treatment, nurses can support patients physiologically, psychologically, and socially, and can explain the effects of CAM use.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yeliz Akkuş
- Department of Nursing, Health Science Faculty, Kafkas University, Kars, Turkey (Dr Akkuş); and Department of Nursing, Health Science Faculty, Turgut Ozal University, Malatya Turkey (Dr Menekli)
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Orstad S, Fløtten Ø, Madebo T, Gulbrandsen P, Strand R, Lindemark F, Fluge S, Tilseth RH, Schaufel MA. "The challenge is the complexity" - A qualitative study about decision-making in advanced lung cancer treatment. Lung Cancer 2023; 183:107312. [PMID: 37481888 DOI: 10.1016/j.lungcan.2023.107312] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2023] [Revised: 07/15/2023] [Accepted: 07/18/2023] [Indexed: 07/25/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION The value of shared decision-making and decision aids (DA) has been well documented yet remain difficult to integrate into clinical practice. We wanted to investigate needs and challenges regarding decision-making about advanced lung cancer treatment after first-line therapy, focusing on DA applicability. METHODS Qualitative data from separate, semi-structured focus groups with patients/relatives and healthcare professionals were analysed using systematic text condensation. 12 patients with incurable lung cancer, seven relatives, 12 nurses and 18 doctors were recruited from four different hospitals in Norway. RESULTS The participants described the following needs and challenges affecting treatment decisions: 1) Continuity of clinician-patient-relationships as a basic framework for decision-making; 2) barriers to information exchange; 3) negotiation of autonomy; and 4) assessment of uncertainty and how to deal with it. Some clinicians feared DA would steal valuable time and disrupt consultations, arguing that such tools could not incorporate the complexity and uncertainty of decision-making. Patients and relatives reported a need for more information and the possibility both to decline or continue burdensome therapy. Participants welcomed interventions supporting information exchange, like communicative techniques and organizational changes ensuring continuity and more time for dialogue. Doctors called for tools decreasing uncertainty about treatment tolerance and futile therapy. CONCLUSION Our study suggests it is difficult to develop an applicable DA for advanced lung cancer after first-line therapy that meets the composite requirements of stakeholders. Comprehensive decision support interventions are needed to address organizational structures, communication training including scientific and existential uncertainty, and assessment of frailty and treatment toxicity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Silje Orstad
- Department of Thoracic Medicine, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway
| | - Øystein Fløtten
- Department of Thoracic Medicine, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway; Department of Clinical Science, University of Bergen, Norway
| | - Tesfaye Madebo
- Department of Pulmonary Medicine, Stavanger University Hospital, Stavanger, Norway
| | - Pål Gulbrandsen
- Institute of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway; Health Services Research Unit HØKH, Akershus University Hospital, Norway
| | - Roger Strand
- Centre for the Study of the Sciences and the Humanities, University of Bergen, Norway
| | - Frode Lindemark
- Department of Thoracic Medicine, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway
| | - Sverre Fluge
- Department of Pulmonary Medicine, Haugesund Hospital, Haugesund, Norway
| | | | - Margrethe Aase Schaufel
- Department of Thoracic Medicine, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway; Department of Clinical Science, University of Bergen, Norway; Bergen Centre for Ethics and Priority Setting, University of Bergen, Norway.
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Critchfield KL, Harvell-Bowman L. Death anxiety and existential concerns among patients experiencing chronic or recurrent suicidal ideation in Interpersonal Reconstructive Therapy. CLIN PSYCHOL-UK 2022. [DOI: 10.1080/13284207.2022.2120386] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
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Hedman R, Hillerås P, Tyrrell M. Living in uncertainty while a spouse is undergoing a cognitive assessment: Voices of women care partners. DEMENTIA 2022; 21:2631-2646. [PMID: 36131252 PMCID: PMC9583288 DOI: 10.1177/14713012221128448] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Women often support partners with cognitive symptoms during the assessment process and when they are receiving a cognitive diagnosis. Living with a partner with cognitive symptoms can be stressful; however, there is limited insights into the specific experiences of older women during the assessment process. Previous research indicates that there are gender differences in the experiences of spousal caregiving; however, further research is needed in regard to the experiences of men and women as care partners. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to describe women's experiences of living with a partner undergoing a cognitive assessment. METHODS Semi-structured interviews were conducted with seven women when their male partners commenced a cognitive assessment and after the assessment had been completed. The interviews were analysed with abductive content analysis. FINDINGS Uncertainty permeated the women's experiences. Antecedents, attributes and strategies to manage the uncertainty were described. CONCLUSION The participants expressed informational and existential uncertainty when their partner underwent a cognitive assessment. A lack of knowledge regarding the assessment process and cognitive diagnoses, especially mild cognitive impairment, was identified. Further, there was a need to process existential uncertainty evoked by the situation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ragnhild Hedman
- Department of Nursing Science, 25548Sophiahemmet University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Pernilla Hillerås
- Red Cross University College, Huddinge, Sweden.,Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, 97092Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Marie Tyrrell
- Department of Nursing Science, 25548Sophiahemmet University, Stockholm, Sweden.,Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, 97092Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
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Dwan C, Willig C. Existential uncertainty in the patient cancer experience: Delimiting the concept. Palliat Support Care 2022; 21:1-7. [PMID: 35166199 DOI: 10.1017/s1478951522000104] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To delimit the concept of existential uncertainty in the patient cancer experience from other, related aspects of uncertainty in the context of an existing framework of health-related uncertainty. METHODS In-depth interviews were carried out with six people living with cancer and analyzed using theory-driven, concept-focused thematic analysis. RESULTS Our analysis suggests that existential uncertainty is concerned with meaning rather than information; with the person rather than the disease; and with the fundamental nature of our human being-in-the-world rather than the more practical aspects of our relationships with others. Patient expressions of existential uncertainty may involve a nonscientific discourse of metaphor, analogy, and imagination. SIGNIFICANCE OF RESULTS It is important for professionals working in supportive oncology to have a conceptual understanding of uncertainty in order to choose how best to respond to patients' needs, as different interventions may be more or less appropriate to different aspects of patient uncertainty.
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Cal A, Aydin Avci I. Turkish adaptation of the Mishel uncertainty in illness scale-community form. Perspect Psychiatr Care 2021; 57:2006-2013. [PMID: 34121185 DOI: 10.1111/ppc.12874] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2020] [Revised: 05/12/2021] [Accepted: 05/13/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
PURPOSE The study aims to conduct the Turkish validity and reliability study of the Mishel uncertainty in illness scale-community form. DESIGN AND METHODS This is a study with a methodological design. It was carried out in a family health center in a province in the Black Sea Region between May and October 2019. The sample of the study consisted of 479 individuals with chronic diseases. The data were analyzed with exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis. FINDINGS The Cronbach's alpha was found to be 0.79. The fit indices of the 20-item scale with three-factor structure are at an acceptable level (root mean square error of approximation: 0.056; comparative fit index: 0.926; incremental fix index: 0.927; goodness of fit index: 0.918; Tucker-Lewis index: 0.915; adjusted goodness of fit index: 0.896; χ2 /SD: 2.481, p < 0.001). PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS The level of uncertainty revealed by the scale gives information about the chronic disease management of individuals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ayse Cal
- Department of Nursing, Ankara Medipol University School of Health Sciences, Ankara, Turkey
| | - Ilknur Aydin Avci
- Department of Public Health Nursing, Ondokuz Mayıs University Health School, Samsun, Turkey
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Loughlin M, Copeland SM. Humans, machines and decisions: Clinical reasoning in the age of artificial intelligence, evidence-based medicine and Covid-19. J Eval Clin Pract 2021; 27:475-477. [PMID: 33890703 PMCID: PMC8251491 DOI: 10.1111/jep.13572] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2021] [Accepted: 04/12/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Michael Loughlin
- European Institute for Person-Centred Health and Social Care, School of Biomedical Sciences, University of West London, London, UK
| | - Samantha Marie Copeland
- Ethics and Philosophy of Technology Section, Department of Values, Technology and Innovation, Delft University of Technology, Delft, The Netherlands
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