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Laranjeira C, Piaça I, Vinagre H, Vaz AR, Ferreira S, Cordeiro L, Querido A. Vulnerability through the Eyes of People Attended by a Portuguese Community-Based Association: A Thematic Analysis. Healthcare (Basel) 2022; 10:healthcare10101819. [PMID: 36292265 PMCID: PMC9601330 DOI: 10.3390/healthcare10101819] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2022] [Revised: 09/12/2022] [Accepted: 09/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Vulnerability is associated with the individual’s social and biological conditions, but also the conditions of their enveloping environment and society, leading to terms such as vulnerable populations or risk groups. This study aimed to give a voice to people with experiences of vulnerability and explore their perspectives, using a descriptive qualitative design. Purportedly vulnerable adults were recruited and interviewed with semi-structured questions on vulnerability. Data were organized, using WebQDA software, and submitted to thematic content analysis, as proposed by Clark and Braun, which generated a thematic tree. The study included six men and six women with a mean age of 43.8 [SD = 14.17] years old. Thematic analysis generated three themes: (1) Conceptions about vulnerability, (2) Barriers imposed by vulnerability, and (3) Strategies for dealing with vulnerability. The results highlight that vulnerability is a highly dynamic process of openness to circumstances that influence individual outcomes. However, there is a lack of conceptual clarity. Although being vulnerable is perceived as something negative, we need to transform the social mindset, because vulnerability also has the potential to change priorities in life for the better.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carlos Laranjeira
- School of Health Sciences, Polytechnic of Leiria, Campus 2, Morro do Lena, Alto do Vieiro, Apartado 4137, 2411-901 Leiria, Portugal
- Centre for Innovative Care and Health Technology (ciTechCare), Polytechnic of Leiria, Campus 5, Rua de Santo André—66–68, 2410-541 Leiria, Portugal
- Research in Education and Community Intervention (RECI I&D), Piaget Institute, 3515-776 Viseu, Portugal
- Correspondence:
| | - Inês Piaça
- School of Health Sciences, Polytechnic of Leiria, Campus 2, Morro do Lena, Alto do Vieiro, Apartado 4137, 2411-901 Leiria, Portugal
| | - Henrique Vinagre
- School of Health Sciences, Polytechnic of Leiria, Campus 2, Morro do Lena, Alto do Vieiro, Apartado 4137, 2411-901 Leiria, Portugal
| | - Ana Rita Vaz
- School of Health Sciences, Polytechnic of Leiria, Campus 2, Morro do Lena, Alto do Vieiro, Apartado 4137, 2411-901 Leiria, Portugal
| | - Sofia Ferreira
- School of Health Sciences, Polytechnic of Leiria, Campus 2, Morro do Lena, Alto do Vieiro, Apartado 4137, 2411-901 Leiria, Portugal
| | - Lisete Cordeiro
- InPulsar (Associação para o Desenvolvimento Comunitário), Rua José Gonçalves LT 55—LJ 3 PISO-1, 2410-121 Leiria, Portugal
| | - Ana Querido
- School of Health Sciences, Polytechnic of Leiria, Campus 2, Morro do Lena, Alto do Vieiro, Apartado 4137, 2411-901 Leiria, Portugal
- Centre for Innovative Care and Health Technology (ciTechCare), Polytechnic of Leiria, Campus 5, Rua de Santo André—66–68, 2410-541 Leiria, Portugal
- Center for Health Technology and Services Research (CINTESIS), NursID, University of Porto, 4200-450 Porto, Portugal
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