Narrative health psychology: once more unto the breach. Introduction

The recovery processes among paramedics who encountered violence during work-a narrative interview study

BACKGROUND

Almost all paramedics encounter workplace violence (WPV) during their careers. The most common form of WPV is verbal, and the perpetrator is usually the patient. It is known that paramedics suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder and other mental health problems, and WPV is one of the reasons behind that. Nevertheless, little is known about the recovery processes paramedics have had after encountering WPV. The research question was: What kind of recovery processes have paramedics had after encountering WPV?

METHODS

A qualitative, narrative interview study was done. Data was collected in individual interviews with Finnish paramedics (n = 18). Paramedics were from different parts of Finland, and their ages varied from 24 to 49 years. They had been working in EMS for an average of 10.5 years (range 1.5 to 25 years). Interviews were conducted with a narrative approach, which enabled paramedics to narrate their experiences and speak on their own terms about the subject to the extent of their choosing. The data was analyzed using thematic analysis.

RESULTS

Ten recovery process themes were identified: Strong psychological and physical reactions in a short time frame, Questioning one's profession and actions, Various support structures aided in recovery, Dysfunctional processes hindered recovery, Personal resources provided support, The support of the workcommunity as a lifeline, Left to cope alone, Permanent changes to work routines, Resulting in professional growth and Eternal crack in the shell.

CONCLUSIONS

Many internal and external factors affect paramedics' recovery processes. While some receive adequate help, others struggle to get appropriate support, especially from their organization and supervisors. The findings of this study suggest that clear protocols should be established to help paramedics recover after encountering WPV and that an individual aspect should be kept in mind, as not everybody reacts in the same way.

Giving Meaning to Non-Communicable Illness: Mixed-Method Research on Sense of Grip on Disease (SoGoD)

When people receive a diagnosis of chronic or non-communicable disease, they need to reorganize their lives to understand and accommodate the changes associated with the new health condition. This reorganization, which involves the activation of a process through which meaning is given to the illness, could be fostered by narrative methods also in the context of Primary Care. The Sense of Grip on Disease (SoGoD) model intends to focus on the role of sense-meaning-making processes in the psychological adjustment to non-communicable illness, emphasizing the patients’ role in managing their own health condition. In this study, the authors propose a mixed-method research method which implies the adaptation of the narrative interview on the Sense of Grip on Disease. The interview was administered to 31 adults suffering from non-communicable diseases and has been analyzed with a theory-driven approach, which aims to explore the modalities of five narrative functions: organization of temporality, integration of illness, expression of emotions, social sharing and orientation to action. Through a Multiple Correspondence Analysis and a Cluster Analysis, the authors have identified two different ‘Grip Profiles’, called “Dynamic Profile” and “Compliant Profile”, representative of different degrees of flexibility, integration and adjustment to disease.

"What I thought was so important isn't really that important": international perspectives on making meaning during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic

BACKGROUND

The global COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on the physical and mental health of people everywhere. The aim of the study is to understand how people living in 15 countries around the globe experience an unexpected crisis which threatens their health and that of loved ones, and how they make meaning of this disruption in their narratives.

METHODS

Data were collected through an anonymous online survey during May-September 2020, which was during or just after the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, depending on the country. The questionnaire included demographic and three open-ended questions as prompts for stories about experiences during the initial months of the pandemic. The text was analyzed through inductive thematic content analysis and quantified for full sample description, demographic and subsequently international comparisons.

RESULTS

The final qualitative dataset included stories from n = 1685 respondents. The sample was 73.6% women and 26.4% men. The mean age of participants was 39.55 years (SD = 14.71). The identified four groups of overarching themes were: The presence and absence of others; Rediscovering oneself; The meaning of daily life; Rethinking societal and environmental values. We discuss the prevalence of each theme for the sample as a whole and differences by demographic groups. The most prevalent theme referred to disruptions in interpersonal contacts, made meaningful by the increased appreciation of the value of relationships, present in (45.6%) of stories. It was more prevalent in the stories of women compared to men (χ² = 24.88, p = .001).

CONCLUSIONS

The paper provides a detailed overview of the methodology, the main themes identified inductively in the stories and differences according to select demographic variables. We identify several major ways of making meaning of the pandemic. The pandemic has impacted many aspects of people's lives which give it meaning, no matter where they live.

Novels as data: Health humanities and health psychology

Novels represent a corpus of data that offers innovative opportunities for research and theory in health psychology. This article discusses how adding ‘health humanities’ to health psychology opens up a potentially rich domain for research and clinical application. The concept of ‘health humanities’ is discussed and put into a context of related fields. The concepts of ‘illness perceptions’ and ‘models of patient–health care provider interaction’ are used as illustrations. Applications are given, focusing on patients and their caregivers, health care providers and society at large (bibliotherapy and expressive writing). Suggestions for further development of the area are included.

Doing Histor{y/ies} of Health Psycholog{y/ies}

Academic (sub)disciplines develop in time and place when particular ideas/practices are nurtured within social, gendered, cultural, community, economic and political contexts. Different histories employ different analyses, some with external views of scientific outputs describing research and practice, and others with internal, behind-the-scenes examinations of these developments, through oral histories and personal recollections. This collection, written by historians of (social) science, or practitioners or pioneering participants, uses different historiographical methods to contextualize health-related activities within the sub-discipline of health psychology and the evolving critical and/or community approaches. The papers connect the evolving health psycholog{y/ies} with changing socio-political circumstances in different countries.

“SEM PEDRAS O ARCO NÃO EXISTE”: O LUGAR DA NARRATIVA NO ESTUDO CRÍTICO DA IDENTIDADE

Resumo O objetivo deste ensaio é discutir as vicissitudes da narrativa para a compreensão das metamorfoses da identidade. Para tanto, parte-se de uma breve exposição do contexto ao qual a narrativa pertence, assinalando seu potencial na construção, reconstrução e reinvenção do passado e do futuro. A seguir, são exploradas as críticas direcionadas à figura do narrador que estaria em vias de extinção, conforme diagnosticado por Walter Benjamin, e apresentadas contribuições que permitem justificar o interesse contemporâneo das Ciências Humanas, sobretudo da Psicologia Social, pela “virada narrativa”. Apresenta-se a influência do método de história de vida e da narração na Psicologia Social, assim como a importância destes no desenvolvimento da concepção de identidade enquanto metamorfose por Antonio Ciampa, em meados de 1980. Por fim, são abordados alguns desafios e cuidados no uso de narrativas na pesquisa em Psicologia Social, oferecendo uma proposta crítica de pesquisa da identidade enquanto metamorfose.

Oliver Sacks and migraine

Background

Oliver Sacks (1933–2015) published a large number of books on a variety of neurological topics. Of these, numerous copies have been sold and they probably serve as the only or main source of information on neurological diseases for many persons without a medical background. His first book was on migraine and in his subsequent books many descriptions of migraine can be found, mainly those of auras.

Methods

We explored the descriptions of migraine in Sacks’ work in order to evaluate the image of migraine offered to the readers.

Conclusion

Oliver Sacks gave wonderful descriptions of migraine auras, but hardly any of migraine headache. Furthermore, he described rare auras such as ‘amusia’ and olfactory auras. Overall, this makes his descriptions of migraine not very useful to serve as medical information for laypersons. Oliver Sacks, however, wrote great literature.

Women's narratives of crisis and change: Transitioning from infertility to pregnancy

This study explores ways women, who endured prolonged fertility difficulties, after which they eventually conceived, integrate the two phases within their life stories. A total of 12 women were interviewed during their first pregnancy after having experienced 2-6 years of infertility. Three types of narratives were identified: (1) the infertility overshadows the pregnancy and approaching motherhood, (2) the pregnancy leads to a dissociation concerning the infertile period, and (3) the two states coexist together along an integrated continuum. We suggested that the different narrative types may occur in diverse circumstances that entail integrating a crisis or prolonged illness into a constructive and meaningful life story.