This thesis focuses on men’s experiences of having breast cancer using a qualitative methodology to provide insight into the first-hand accounts of the participants. It aims to enhance the limited existing research in this area through the use of Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA), exploring the psychological impact of having an illness commonly associated with women. The phenomenological and interpretative nature of IPA allows an in-depth investigation of men’s perspectives of breast cancer and explores the psychological, emotional and social impact on the participants. Interviews were carried out with six men who had been diagnosed with breast cancer in the last five years. Verbatim transcripts of the interviews were analysed using IPA. Three super-ordinate themes emerged from the analysis, with a further nine sub-themes identified. The discussion focuses on Gender & masculinity in line with the first two superordinate themes, ‘Derailment from my illegitimate illness’ and ‘Being in the shadow of pink’. The third super-ordinate theme, ‘Finding value in suffering’ is discussed in line with research on Meaning-Making and ‘Posttraumatic-growth’. Insight gathered by this study is thought to help understand male breast cancer patients’ unique and specific needs, so better tailored forms of psychological support can be provided. Existential and meaning-centered practices are suggested as feasible alternative approaches to traditional psychological treatments.

In order to support a standardized and uniform documentation one can use different types of aids such as influencing attitudes, provide training and customize tools for documentation. This study looks at documentation in elderly care from the personnel’s perspective and seeks to better understand their view of and experience with documentation in relation to the aids described above. By holding semi-structured interviews with 12 people working with elderly care qualitative data were obtained and later analyzed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). A range of different thoughts and attitudes towards documentation were found, some that could facilitate documentation, but also some that could hinder a good documentation practice. Also different insecurities were found such as lack of experience/knowledge about documentation, technology or language. Colleagues are a great resource for helping and educating personnel but it might be hard for them to explain some things they do if they aren’t aware of how they do it. It might also take time to readjust to new procedures such as a common information structure, especially for the experienced workers that have formed routines for how to do things. Contextual factors are important and the documentation systems have the ability to make or break the users.

Consequences of acquired brain injury (ABI) can be life long and complex. The majority of those who sustain an ABI are cared for by family members. Many are young adults who are cared for by parents. A systematic review highlighted that there is little in the way of research that focused on the experience of parent caregivers, particularly in the traumatic brain injury (TBI) population and in the early days of caregiving post discharge from hospital. Method A qualitative design using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) was used. Six participants were recruited; three from the NHS and three from Headway. Results Four superordinate themes emerged: carrying on with the parenting role; barriers to caregiving; factors that engender mastery; and the psychological, physical and social impact on parents. Conclusion The early weeks at home following discharge from hospital are exciting but exhausting and parents were ill-prepared to meet some of the challenges. Parents wanted more TBI specific services for their family members and themselves. Some experienced difficult emotions during the first few weeks at home and so there is a need for regular, on-going input that starts before discharge from hospital. This has relevance for professionals as parents should be involved in the care and decision making from the acute stage onwards as they will be the people assuming responsibility on discharge from hospital. They should be assessed early on to see what psychological or practical support must be in place before their family member leaves hospital.

Background: Juxtaposed with prevailing romantic myths surrounding images of UK veterinary practice are the reported alarming levels of psychological distress within the profession. Whilst an abundance of published quantitative studies report on the high proportional mortality rate of death by suicide in vets and identify possible causes of stress in the workplace, there is noticeable paucity of qualitative studies that precedent vets’ lived experiences and privilege their voices. Aims: Within this study I aimed to gain an “insider’s perspective” as to what it is like to be a vet (in UK practice) experiencing psychological distress. I also investigated the possible impact on vets of the “culture of death” (i.e. responsibility for administering euthanasia; exposure to death). This was with the aim of generating, deeper, more nuanced insights into how veterinary surgeons made sense of and meaning from their experiences of distress, with a view to enhancement of future counselling psychology initiatives and interventions. Participants: I recruited five veterinary surgeons on a voluntary basis (two males; three females); four participants had received a diagnosis of depression; one self-identified experiencing post-partum depression. Method: I collected data in one single semi-structured interview that lasted up to 90 minutes. I transcribed interviews verbatim and applied interpretive phenomenological analysis to individual accounts, prior to cross-case analysis. Focusing on metaphors participants used, I imported an existential lens for interpreting findings. I further used personal and epistemological reflexivity to generate greater transparency of my own processes and context. Findings: I identified three master-themes: “I suffered from depression, real depression;” “All - consuming: it eats away at you;” and “The Human Element.” Participants made sense of their experiences of psychological distress as depression through metaphors of darkness, descent, void, consumption, motion/inertia and balance. My analysis revealed diversity in experiences; responsibility for multiple, convenience and precipitous euthanasia was located as difficult and sometimes distressing. Two participants had experienced the loss of a veterinary surgeon friend by suicide, which was described as “horrific” and as generating deeper existential questioning. Participants idiosyncratically described depression as a multiple loss experience which was also potentially generative of increased self-awareness, acceptance and source of connection with personal values, interests and significant others. By importing an existential lens for interpreting findings, the multidimensional nature of participants’ experiences of depression was made more visible and highlighted salience of spiritual dimensions, in particular personal values and sense of purpose in life. Conclusions and Implications: Insights generated illustrate diversity and paradox within participant vets’ experiences of depression; revealing both associated losses and gains. Implications for counselling psychologists include considering the importance of sensitivity towards the context of veterinary medicine and understanding the personal meanings of being a vet.

Syftet med studien var att undersöka hur en gruppbehandling för partnervåldsutövare har upplevts ur deras perspektiv för att få förståelse för hur gruppbehandlingen har påverkat deras förmåga att åstadkomma en positiv förändring. Sex semistrukturerade intervjuer analyserades med den kvalitativa metoden Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). Det resulterade i det övergripande temat 'upplevelser i gruppbehandlingen' som hade tre underteman: ultimatum som vändpunkt, "grabbarna" som kraftfullt verktyg och ofärdigt avslut. Det andra övergripande temat var 'hjälpbehov i gruppbehandlingen' som bestod av tre underteman: våld som ett substansberoende, erkänna sina misstag och svaghet som en styrka. I resultated framkom betydelsen av att ha tillgång till behandling vid kris, lära sig långsiktiga sätt att hantera känslor, att gruppformatet var hjälpsamt samt att fortsatt stöd behövdes efteråt.

This diploma thesis focuses on service quality in Czech retail chains. Shopping in supermarket is a part of everyday life for all people. That is why quality of services provided in supermarkets is significant and should be given more attention. Main objective of this thesis is application of importance-performance analysis (IPA) on valuation of chosen retail chains as well as evaluation of its suitability for that purpose. After the analysis, the results were presented on the chart and recommendations were created for the management of supermarket chains in order to improve quality of their services. Findings imply that IPA can be used for valuation of service quality in supermarkets, but with due regard to its limitations and a possibility of getting distorted results. The dissertation also includes testing of influence that demographic characteristics have on customer satisfaction.

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Yes / Critics of IPA suggest that it is unscientific, lacking a complex subjectivity and displaying a promiscuous epistemology. This article aims to explore these criticisms, offering a response that is inspired by the language of fertility and ideas adapted from evolutionary science. As the swan is often seen as a symbol of fidelity, this article draws an analogy between the promiscuous behaviour of Australian Black Swans and IPA research. Within this frame, flirtations with other methodologies are described as being advantageous in that they encourage gene flow and a productive cross fertilisation of ideas. An intermingling of genes can open up new avenues of research, enhance reflexive awareness and allow the voice of others to be heard. Finally as IPA is happy to engage in flirtations and dalliances with diverse theoretical frames to enhance its longevity, this article suggests that a good match could be made between IPA and dialogical methods.

The region of Appalachia in the United States is a diverse region that is full of beauty, mountains, art, and culture. Due to a history of abuse from large corporations, the impact of the decline in coal mining and generational poverty, the region is currently on a road toward recovery. Substance misuse rates are disproportionality high, and there are limited resources available to address the issue. Literature suggests that church leaders may be a potential resource. The goal of the study was to provide a better understanding of the substance misuse epidemic through the eyes of church leaders. Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis guided this qualitative study. Church leaders (n = 10) were interviewed and four significant themes emerged: narratives used to describe their experiences with substance misuse, the stigma associated with substance misuse, the community impact that substance misuse has on Appalachia, and the lack of understanding and need for training on substance misuse for church leaders and healthcare practitioners. The results of the study are discussed and connected to discussions of the implications for clinical practice, recommendations for further research, and limitations of the study. / Doctor of Philosophy / Appalachia is a mountain range located in the eastern portion of the United States. It is a diverse region that is full of beauty, mountains, art, and culture. Due to a history of abuse from large corporations, the impact of the decline in coal mining and generational poverty, the region is currently on a road toward recovery. Substance misuse rates are disproportionality high, and there are limited healthcare resources available to address the issue. The goal of the presented study was to provide a better understanding of the substance misuse epidemic through the experiences of church leaders, which are abundant in the region. Church leaders, a sample of 10, were interviewed and four significant topics emerged from their stories shared: narratives used to describe their experiences with substance misuse, the stigma associated with substance misuse, the community impact that substance misuse has on Appalachia, and the lack of understanding and need for training on substance misuse for church leaders and healthcare practitioners. The results of this study suggest that church leaders may be used as a resource to help lower the impact of substance misuse. The experiences of the church leaders gained from this study can help provide training to church leaders and healthcare providers on ways to work together and lower substance misuse in Appalachia.