Questioning the value of present life: The lived experience of older people who see no future for themselves

OBJECTIVES

To describe the lived experience of older people who see no future for oneself in the context of aging and the possible development of a wish to die.

METHODS

Data were collected from 34 interviews with people of 55-92 years. A phenomenological hermeneutical analysis was performed using crafted stories as an analytical device.

RESULTS

Four intertwined constituents together with the essence of the phenomenon provide a layered description of what it means to see no future for oneself. In all constituents: 1) not sharing everyday life, 2) looking for new commitments, 3) facing present losses and future fears and 4) imagining not waking up in the morning, the essence losing zest for life seeped through their daily experiences.

CONCLUSIONS

As their horizon of future possibilities is shrinking, older people in our study experience a loss of zest for life and start to questioning the value of their present lives. And although a certain languishing mood can be discovered, the phenomenon 'seeing no future for oneself' does not entail a wish to die.

The Lived Experience of Ambulatory and Perioperative RNs Displaced During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Phenomenological Study

During the patient surge associated with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in the spring of 2020, perioperative and ambulatory RNs at an acute-care specialty orthopedic hospital were redeployed to medical-surgical inpatient nursing units to care for patients with the disease. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to describe perioperative and ambulatory RNs' experiences during the redeployment. We used purposeful sampling to obtain representatives who worked routinely in perioperative (including postanesthesia care) and ambulatory settings before redeployment. Data saturation was reached after eight in-depth interviews that yielded rich descriptions of the nurses' experiences. Most participants indicated that the fundamental structure of the experience involved being "thrown into a war without weapons" and needing to find ways to fight. The results of this study provide a unique contribution to nursing literature and may assist nurses and leaders in the future.

The Suicidal Process and the Role of Negative Emotions in Suicidal Behavior: A Phenomenological Study Among the Baganda

This article is part of a phenomenological study that aimed at exploring the meanings of Deliberate Self-Harm among the Baganda in Uganda. It describes the suicidal process and the role of negative emotions among the Baganda involved in potentially suicidal self-harm behavior. Narrative interviews were conducted with 18 respondents (5 males and 13 females) aged 18-75 years who had engaged in self-harm. A case by case analysis was done using descriptive phenomenological method. The details of the narratives are described using the "suicidal process approach" proposed by van Heeringens. Comparing the narratives, we observed that most individuals found themselves unable to manage their negative emotions and for some, this situation persisted through multiple episodes. Hence, one of the suicide prevention strategy is to emphasize emotional regulation skills like self-awareness, being mindful and self-compassion in all forms of psychotherapy intervention at all levels.

A phenomenological reflection on women's lived experience of giving in circumstances of material scarcity

There is a robust body of research that examines problems women with criminal-legal system involvement face, the support they need, how they get it, from whom, and how they use it. Rarely do we pause to consider what resources such women already have, the support they give, or what those experiences teach us about how to support them. In this study, my purpose was to reflect on the phenomenon of giving as experienced by women who have few material resources and whose lives have been disrupted by repeat incarcerations. I analyzed four lived experience descriptions of giving from interviews conducted in 2016-2017 with 10 women who had significant histories of criminal-legal system involvement, unstable housing, and little or no income. Using concepts from hermeneutic phenomenology and the practice of phenomenological study described by Max Van Manen, I analyzed giving wholistically, selectively, and in detail. I discerned that the women's experience of giving was relationally structured as exchange, with both past and future aspects. In selective and detailed analysis, themes of "taking in" and "being there" and a gem or essential feature of automaticity/personhood presented themselves. Women found meaning, value, and a sense of belonging in giving to others even when they struggled to meet their own needs. The findings suggest potential directions for nursing practice, research, and advocacy, including work to recognize, build on, and remunerate women's affiliative care-giving and support-while also putting pressure on community health and social services delivery systems to better serve those in need.

A new experimental phenomenological method to explore the subjective features of psychological phenomena: its application to binocular rivalry

The subjective features of psychological phenomena have been studied intensively in experimental science in recent years. Although various methods have been proposed to identify subjective features of psychological phenomena, there are elusive subjective features such as the spatiotemporal structure of experience, which are difficult to capture without some additional methodological tools. We propose a new experimental method to address this challenge, which we call the contrast-based experimental phenomenological method (CEP). CEP proceeds in four steps: (i) front-loading phenomenology, (ii) online second-personal interview, (iii) questionnaire survey, and (iv) hypotheses testing. It differs from other experimental phenomenological methods in that it takes advantage of phenomenal contrasts in collecting phenomenological data. In this paper, we verify the validity and productivity of this method by applying it to binocular rivalry (BR). The study contributes to empirical research on BR in three respects. First, it provides additional evidence for existing propositions about the subjective features of BR: e.g. the proposition that the temporal dynamics of the experience depend upon subject-dependent parameters such as attentional change. Second, it deepens our understanding of the spatiotemporal structures of the transition phase of BR. Third, it elicits new research questions about depth experience and individual differences in BR. The presence of such contributions demonstrates the validity and productivity of CEP.

The Bathtub Illusion

When a person looks at the fingers of their own hand as they line up in depth, the impression may emerge that the little fingers, which are farther away, are located too far and if so they are not part of the same hand. I describe the conditions and suggest this is due to the size difference between fingers (size-distance scaling). A role of size on perceived distance here is more powerful than knowledge about our own body.

Rebuttal Rejoinder: Present IPA For What It Is-Interpretative Psychological Analysis

I appreciate this opportunity to join Jonathan Smith in his rebuttal to my discussion of the meaning and method of his interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA). Different forms of inquiry make unique contributions to our understanding of professional practices of psychology, education, pedagogy, nursing, medicine, and other health sciences. So, it should be worthwhile to understand the nature of these potential contributions and their methods. But what if some methods are misnamed, misconstrued, or misdirected? Does it matter? Perhaps or perhaps only academically. I am happy to engage in this rejoinder with Jonathan Smith-certainly there is merit in dialogue and discussions surrounding our understandings of phenomenology as a method for human science research. In addition, I feel collegial amity for Jonathan and his interest in phenomenology and willingness to engage in conversation. In this rejoinder, I will express my views of IPA and Jonathan's rebuttal in some brief detail and with considered care.

Researching Lived Experience of Drugs and Crime: A Phenomenological Study of Drug-Dependent Inmates

This study identified the main components of the drugs and crime experience of a sample of 25 drug-dependent inmates interviewed in prison. Text analyses were conducted using a phenomenological method. The sample was characterized by a disruptive childhood in multi-problematic families and deviant social contexts where drug use and crime were considered normal since early adolescence. Drug initiation involved recreational use of dance drugs and/or cocaine, and the pleasure experienced was identified as the cause of subsequent persistent use. Three pathways that led to dependence were identified: The narcissistic pathway was defined as involving uncontrolled cocaine and amphetamines to feel powerful and limitless. The posttraumatic pathway was defined as involving post-trauma self-destructive drug use, while the pain relief pathway was defined as involving multiple substances to relieve pain. The second and third pathways were more directly associated with crime aimed at sustaining drug use.

Supporting and Sharing-Home Birth: Fathers' Perspective

The planned home birth has provoked discussion around the world. Home birth has been described as a positive experience, but results regarding the safety of home birth are controversial. To date, the phenomenon has mainly been examined from the mother's point of view, and there is only one previous study reporting fathers' perspective. The purpose of the present phenomenological qualitative interview study was to investigate fathers' experiences of planned home birth. Eleven fathers were interviewed, and the data were analyzed using Colaizzi's phenomenological method. The fathers followed the woman's wish in choosing the birthplace and set aside their own views. Furthermore, hospital birth was not an option for the fathers due to their own prior negative experiences of hospital births such as disturbing the natural progress of birth. The fathers' experience of home birth included sharing the responsibility, supporting the woman, and participating in the home birth process. The experience was challenging; fathers had to take the role of a midwife, and no support or information on organizing home birth was offered by public health services. The fathers felt that the home birth connected them as family, and the experience was empowering. Our study results suggest that the health care professionals need more education and information on home birth and that the families (including fathers) interested in home birth need greater support from health care professionals. There is a need for proper national home birth guidelines, while family-and client-centered care has to be improved in birthing hospitals.

Binary phenomenon of hope: perceptions of traumatized veterans

This is the second article in a phenomenological study of hope among 10 Israeli reserve soldiers with chronic posttraumatic stress disorder. The aim of the second analysis was to learn about the veterans' conceptualization of hope. The picture of hope that emerges from the analysis of their interviews is of a binary phenomenon in which hope develops but may also be arrested, is conscious but also unconscious, and strengthens the individual but may also weaken one. These findings show the binary phenomenon of hope and how it contributes to coping with traumatic events and therefore can assist professional workers who treat individuals suffering from posttraumatic stress disorder.