Magister Curationis - MCur / This study explored the lived experience of spouses living with depressed partners. A qualitative phenomenological, exploratory study design was used to explore the lived experience of the spouses, identifying the coping strategies and challenges that they face as they live with the depressed partners. A purposive sample of seven spouses living with their depressed partners who were being treated in outpatient department were recruited to participate in the study. In-depth, face-to-face interviews were conducted, audiotaped with the participants’ permission and transcribed verbatim. The data from the transcripts, field notes, and demographic questionnaires was organized ready for analysis. Thematic data analysis was used to code the data, and group the codes to form categories. The categories were further regrouped to form themes. The themes were conceptualized and contextualized to uncover the meaning that the spouse carers attached to the lived experience. It emerged that most of the spouses described their partners and the relationship negatively due to the burden of care. The male carers as compared to the female carers expressed the negativity more and it impacted on the quality of care they were providing to the depressed partners. It was revealed that inadequate professional support was linked with the ineffective coping strategies employed by the spouse carers. Hence, most of the spouse carers presented with symptoms of depression and were at the stage of impoverishment according to the adaptive potential assessment model. A recommendation to involve spouse carers in the treatment plan and improve the support system to the spouse carers was made to the stakeholders of health service providers at the primary health level.

Magister Curationis - MCur / The study explores the experiences of nurses who care for severe/profound intellectual disabled patients at Level 3 Psychiatric Hospital in Cape Town. People with severe intellectual disabilities require constant care and supervision which can only be provided in specialised units. In the Western Cape, one such facility is a special section for the intellectually disabled at a level three hospital. Intellectual disability is a serious lifelong disability that places a heavy burden on affected individuals. Caring for these patients may affect the individuals who work within the intellectual disability services. This study explores the experiences of nurses who care for these patients. A Phenomenological research design was chosen as the researcher identified it as the most appropriate method to describe the lived experiences of the nurses. Purposive sampling was used to select 10 participants. However, data saturation was reached after interviewing eight participants. Data was collected through in-depth unstructured interviews. The audio-taped responses were transcribed verbatim and phenomenological data analysis done. Ethical clearance was obtained from the Higher Degrees Committee of the University of the Western Cape. Permission to do the research at the level three hospitals was sought from the Associated Psychiatric Hospital Committee. Consent to participate in the study was obtained from the participants, and ethical principles were adhered to. Participants were informed of the right to withdraw at any stage of the study and intervention offered when required. Trustworthiness of the research process was ensured. Findings: from this study the nurses who care for severe/profound intellectual disabled patients reported that they were not adequately prepared to care for these patients. It has also been reported that caring for the severely/profound disabled comes with some consequences, where emotional (negative and positive), physical and professional consequences were mentioned. The shortage of resources was found to be one of the challenges the nurses experienced. The nurses felt unappreciated for the work they did and less supported by their employer.

The primary purpose of this study was to investigate how the life experiences of educators impact upon classroom discipline. The study considered the present situation regarding classroom discipline practice. As circuit manager directly involved with schools I was concerned to see that there were dysfunctional schools in my area because of the failure to manage classroom discipline effectively. <p.>The findings of the study indicate that classroom discipline practices can be improved if we understand the life experiences of educators. A qualitative narrative approach was applied and narrative interviews, observation and lived stories of educators were used to gather data from nine participants. All these educators were drawn from one circuit in the Nkangala Department of Education, a region in Mpumalanga Province, and are teaching in secondary schools. Purposive sampling was used to select the nine participants; all were prepared to share their lived experiences and ultimately, data analysis provided cogent answers to the research hypothesis. The research focused on issues such as recent South African studies conducted on discipline and corporal punishment, theories of discipline, how lived experiences impact on current behaviour. From what I have observed and heard, it has become clear, as is set out in this thesis, that the classroom discipline practices implemented by educators are indeed influenced by their own classroom experiences when they themselves were learners. / Thesis (PhD (Education Management, Law and Policy))--University of Pretoria, 2008. / Education Management and Policy Studies / unrestricted

The purpose of this study was to explore the lived experiences of African orphaned learners in relation to their educational experiences with the view of establishing whether the type of education received and the inferred quality of that education correlate with official conceptions of quality education as articulated in government policies. The study interrogates policy intentions geared to improving the quality of education in South African schools and juxtaposes the intended policy with the lived experiences of orphaned learners. This is a qualitative case study focusing specifically on four African primary school learners. Data were collected from interviews, observations and written stories of orphaned learners, as well as interviews with the orphaned learners’ teachers and caretakers. The claim I make in this study is that all learners living in impoverished communities and subjected to the kind of disadvantages in operation in their home environment are at risk of education of an inferior quality. However, being an orphan can aggravate this in that orphaned learners bring to school peculiar attributes which would produce outcomes that differ from those envisaged in policy documents. The findings of the study indicate that:<ul><il> (a) the behaviour displayed by orphaned learners, the emotional changes resulting from changing family circumstances, grieving the loss of parents and fear of losing the caregiver may impact negatively on the intended quality of education </il><il> (b) the socioeconomic and cultural contexts of orphaned learners have an influence on the received quality of education</il><il> (c) orphaned learners raised in sibling-headed households, where the primary educators (e.g. parents or surrogate parents) are non-existent, have impoverished educational experiences </il><il> (d) the support provided by the extended family can contribute positively to the educational experiences of orphaned learners </il><il> (e) the community can serve as a critical resource in enhancing the educational experiences of orphaned learners. <br> </ul> Finally, the study indicates that, by studying the lived experiences of African orphans, a better understanding of the quality of education received is made possible and this in turn could influence the conceptualisation of quality education and support structures required to achieve this ideal at higher levels of the education system. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2010. / Education Management and Policy Studies / unrestricted

Bakgrund: KOL är en allvarlig sjukdom som successivt kan leda till döden. Den största riskfaktorn är rökning, men även annat kan orsaka KOL t.ex. inandning av skadliga ämnen. År 2015 dog 3,17 miljoner av KOL. Studier visar att vården av KOL-patienter idag främst handlar om prevention och rehabilitering. Sällan tas patienternas upplevelser och erfarenheter i akt.Syfte: Syftet med denna litteraturstudie var att undersöka upplevelser och erfarenheter av KOL-patienter och hur det påverkar deras dagliga liv.Metod: En litteraturstudie med kvalitativ ansats som baserades på 11 vetenskapliga artiklar. Litteratursökningen genomfördes i databaserna PubMed och CINAHL. Utvalda artiklar granskades utifrån SBU:s mall för kvalitetsgranskning. Metasyntes av icke strukturerad karaktär användes som metod för att analysera data. Resultat: Utifrån data som samlats in går det att urskilja att andningen är den centrala faktorn som påverkar patienternas dagliga liv. Andfåddheten för med sig andra konsekvenser. Sex teman identifierades: “Sjukdomsinsikt och förnekelse”, “Acceptans och hanteringsstrategier”, “Vård som en del av vardagen”, “Psykiskt lidande”, “Begränsningar och påverkan på det sociala livet och familjelivet” och “Hopp om framtiden”.Konklusion: Patienternas behov varierar mycket. Detta betyder att vården behöver vara enad och samarbeta för att bedriva en personcentrerad vård. Sjuksköterskans roll och bemötande är viktigt för det patientnära omvårdnadsarbetet och i rollen som kontaktperson för KOL-patienter. / Background: COPD is a grave illness which potentially leads to an early death. The greatest determinant is smoking, but there are other factors that can lead to COPD. Inhaling hazardous materials would be one example. In 2015, 3,17 million people worldwide died due to COPD. Studies show that the medical care for COPD-patients today is primarily focused on prevention and rehabilitation. Concern for the patient's own experiences are rare. Aim: The aim of this literature review was to examine the experiences of COPD-patients and the effects on their daily lives from the illness.Method: A literature review with a qualitative approach, based on 11 scientific articles. The databases used for the article searching were PubMed and CINAHL. Chosen articles were quality controlled by SBU’s model for quality reviewing. A non-structured meta synthesis was used for analysing data.Result: The data presented by the included articles all showed how the patients breathing ability is the central factor in their lived experiences. Breathlessness brought consequences. Six themes emerged: “Illness and Denial”, “Acceptance and Coping Strategies”, “Health Care as a part of Everyday Life”, “Mental Suffering” and “Hope for the Future”.Conclusion: The patients' health care needs varied considerably. This gives reason for the health care unit to be united in the work for person centered care. The nurse’s role and response to patients are important for the close to patient care and profession role as contact person for COPD patients.

Since 2006, international student enrollment in U.S. higher education institutions has increased significantly, which has precipitated an increase in the institutions' multiculturalism. A mechanism to facilitate the integration of students of different cultures within a multicultural institution would be valuable to fostering positive educational experiences for all students. The purpose of this phenomenological study was the inclusion of multiculturalism within U.S. higher education institutions. Banks' multiculturalism theory provided the study's conceptual framework. Six international students were interviewed, and their responses were analyzed to answer 2 research questions concerning the lived experiences of international students enrolled in U.S. higher education institutions and the inclusion of multiculturalism in the institution's curriculum, programs, policies, and practices and regarding their institutions' efforts to assist them in adjusting to and integrating. Data were analyzed to identify the emerging themes. According to the study's findings, multiculturalism was included in most of the participants' higher education institutions; however, the students felt their expectations had not been met, and that the institutions could have done more to assist them with cultural and social integration and navigation through the institutions' educational systems. The findings of this study create an opportunity for social change by informing U.S. higher education institutions on the ways to enhance programs, service, and curriculum to best meet the needs of enrolled international students.

Discrimination, racism, and class bias affects the accessibility of resources available to African American males who are exoffenders. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore the lived experiences of African American, male exoffenders' ability to access resources postincarceration. Guided by Bell and Freeman's critical race theory, a purposeful sample of 6 African American, male exoffenders were recruited from 2 reentry programs in the Northeast United States. A semistructured interview approach was employed to examine the life history, details of experience, and reflection on the meaning of the lived experience from the participants. The modified Stevick, Colaizzi, and Keen method of analysis was used to analyze the interview data. Seven themes emerged that included the stigma of a criminal record, lack of resources, good family support, the importance of employment, accountability, responsibility, lack of education, and the environment that can impact the success or failure of an exoffender's reentry. Policymakers in the criminal justice system can change the current policy that underestimates the extent to which the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 has affected the resources that African American, male exoffenders need to reintegrate into society. The positive social change implication is that service providers can use the results of this study to better serve the needs of African American, male exoffenders as they transition from prison into society.

Bakgrund: Svårläkta bensår är symtom på underliggande sjukdom och drabbar cirka två procent av befolkningen. Det är ett plågsamt tillstånd som kräver kontinuerlig omvårdnad under långa perioder.  Syfte: Syftet var att belysa vuxna personers erfarenheter av att leva med svårläkta bensår. Metod: En litteraturstudie genomfördes utifrån tio kvalitativa empiriska studier och analyserades med Fribergs femstegsmodell. Studierna återfanns i CINAHL, PubMed, Scopus och Google scholar. Resultat: Utifrån analysen formades fyra huvudkategorier och tio underkategorier. ’Förlorad makt över kroppen’: ’Outhärdlig smärta’ och ’Outhärdlig lukt’. ’Förlorad kontroll över livet’: ’En begränsad vardag’, ’Svårt att upprätthålla relationer’ och ’Måsta härda ut’. ’Betydelsen av delaktighet’: ’Svårt att känna tillit’, ’Att känna sig nonchalerad’ och ’Att känna samhörighet’. ’Ständig ovisshet’: ’Att inte veta varför’ och ’Rädsla för framtiden’. Bensåren orsakade ett stort lidande i livets fysiska, psykiska och sociala aspekter.  Konklusion: För att lindra lidandet behöver sjuksköterskor ökad kunskap samt förståelse för att kunna ge en god omvårdnad. Vården måste prioritera denna patientgrupp och omorganisera för en bättre struktur vid diagnostisering, behandling och uppföljning. Det behövs fler interventionsstudier om svårläkta bensår. / Background: Hard-to-heal leg ulcers are symptoms of underlying disease and affects about two percent of the population. It is an agonizing condition that requires continuous care for long periods.  Aim: The aim was to shed light on adults' experiences of living with hard-to-heal leg ulcers.  Methods: A literature study was conducted based on ten qualitative studies and analyzed with Friberg's five-step model. The studies were found in CINAHL, PubMed, Scopus and Google scholar.  Results: Based on the analysis, four main categories and ten subcategories were formed. ’Lost power over the body’: ’Unbearable pain’ and ’Unbearable odour’. ’Lost control over life’: ’A limited everyday life’, ’Difficult to maintain relationships’ and ’Must endure’. ’The importance of participation’: ’Difficult to feel trust’, ’To feel neglected’ and ’To feel affinity’. ’Constant uncertainty’: ’Not knowing why’ and ’Fear of the future’. The leg ulcers caused great suffering in the physical, psychological and social aspects of life. Conclusion: To ease the suffering, nurses need to increase their understanding and knowledge to provide a good care. The healthcare organization must prioritize this patient group and reorganize for a better structure in diagnosis, treatment and follow-up. More intervention studies are needed about hard-to-heal leg ulcers.

Bakgrund: Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) är en neuropsykiatrisk sjukdom. Klassiska symtom för ADHD är bristande impulskontroll, hyperaktivitet samt koncentrationssvårigheter. Det saknas systematiska översiktsstudier som beskriver vuxna personers erfarenheter av att leva med ADHD och dessa kan vara viktiga för att sjuksköterskan ska kunna ge en god omvårdnad.  Syfte: Att beskriva vuxna personers erfarenheter av att leva med ADHD. Metod: Åtta kvalitativa artiklar granskades och sammanställdes till denna litteraturstudie. Resultat: Analysen resulterade i ett övergripande tema: “Att uppleva ADHD både som hinder och styrka i vardagen”. Huvudtemat bestod av följande subteman: “Att utsätta sig för risker på grund av stress och dålig impulskontroll”, “Bristande impulskontroll och koncentrationssvårigheter försvårar relationer”, “Att uppleva svårigheter i skola och arbetsliv på grund av koncentrationssvårigheter”, “Att uppleva hur ADHD leder till positiva erfarenheter”, “Att uppleva stigmatisering och brist på förståelse från samhället” och “Att självkänslan och självbilden påverkas negativt”.      Konklusion: Litteraturstudiens resultat visar att personer med ADHD har en ökad risk för ett sämre välmående. Sjuksköterskan kan genom personcentrerad omvårdnad bidra till högre vårdkvalité. Att hitta strategier och metoder som kan bidra till att personer med ADHD får möjlighet att hantera diagnosen bättre kan sannolikt leda till ett ökat välmående men fler studier behövs. / Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neuropsychiatric disorder. Classic symptoms of ADHD are lack of impulse control, hyperactivity and difficulty concentrating. There are no systematic reviews that describes the lived experience among adults living with ADHD. These could be important for nurses to provide good nursing care.Aim: The aim of this study was to describe the lived experience among adults living with ADHD. Methods: Eight qualitative articles were reviewed, analyzed and compiled for this literature study. Results: The analysis resulted in an overall theme: “Experience ADHD both as an obstacle and a strength in everyday life”. The main theme consisted of sub-themes: "Exposing oneself to risks due to stress and poor impulse control", "Lack of impulse control and concentrating difficulties impact on relationships", "Experiencing difficulties in school and work due to concentration difficulties", "Experiencing how ADHD leads to positive experiences”, “Experiencing stigma from lack of understanding from society” and ”That self-esteem and self-image are negatively affected ”. Conclusion: This literature study shows that people with ADHD have an increased risk for a poorer well-being. The nurse can contribute to higher quality care through person-centered nursing. Finding strategies that can help people with ADHD handle their diagnosis could lead to increased well-being, more studies are needed.

Sammanfattning Introduktion: Problematisk skolfrånvaro kännetecknas av att eleven inte mår bra och inte har fått rätt stöd och hjälp. Skolfrånvaro skapar stora samhällskostnader och kan få betydande konsekvenser på individnivå. Arbetsterapeuter samverkar med elever och andra aktörer för att skapa förutsättningar för aktivitet och delaktighet i vardags- och samhällsliv. Genomförd skolgång är en skyddsfaktor mot psykisk ohälsa. Syfte: Syftet med studien var att belysa upplevelser och erfarenheter hos elever med erfarenhet av problematisk skolfrånvaro. Metod: En metasyntes av kvalitativ forskning, 15 inkluderade artiklar, genomfördes med guidning av The PRISMA 2020 statement samt Joanna Briggs Institute. Datan analyserades med kvalitativ innehållsanalys. Resultat: Analysen genererade ett övergripande tema; Erfarenheter påverkar framtidsvisionen. Tre huvudkategorier; Flera faktorer samverkar över tid, Att förhålla sig till och hantera skolans psykosociala miljö samt Känsla av egenmakt - den egna rösten, belyser erfarenheter av deltagarnas skolgång och skolfrånvaro. Flera orsaker till skolfrånvaro samexisterade på olika nivåer över tid och eleverna utmanades i sökandet efter att passa in och känna trygghet i skolan. Att som elev bli sedd och lyssnad på främjade skolnärvaro. Att involveras i sin skolgång skapade engagemang, motivation, aktivitetsrättvisa och en känsla av empowerment hos eleven. Slutsats: Psykisk ohälsa är en vanlig anledning till att inte ha avslutat sin skolgång samtidigt som avslutad skolgång är en skyddsfaktor mot psykisk ohälsa. Genom relationsbygge, samverkan och elevengagemang kan framgång nås i arbetet att få tillbaka eleven till skolan. Arbetsterapeuter kan med ett empowermentinriktat arbetssätt stödja eleven att nå sina livs- och framtidsmål. Elever beskrev fungerande stöd som livsomvälvande. / Abstract Introduction: Persistent absence from school is a sign that the student is not feeling well and has not received proper support. Absence from school leads to substantial societal costs and brings significant consequences on an individual level. Occupational therapists collaborate with students and others involved to enable activity and participation in everyday and community life. Completed schooling is a crucial protective factor against mental illness. Aim: The purpose of this study was to shed light on lived experiences among students with experience of problematic school absenteeism. Method: A metasynthesis of qualitative research, 15 included articles, guided by The PRISMA 2020 statement and the Joanna Briggs Institute was conducted. The data was analyzed with qualitative content analysis. Results: The analysis generated an overall theme; Experiences influence future aspirations. Three main categories: Several factors affect school absenteeism over time; Relating to and managing the school's psychosocial environment; and A sense of empowerment - the student´s own voice, highlighting experiences of the participants' schooling and school absence. Several explanatory reasons for school absenteeism coexisted at different levels over time and the students were challenged in their attempts to fit in and feel safe in school. School attendance is promoted by feeling seen and listened to as a student. Being involved in their own schooling created student commitment and motivation, occupational justice and a sense of empowerment. Conclusion: Mental illness is a common reason for failing to complete schooling, while finishing school is a protective factor against mental illness. Relationship building, promoting collaboration and student involvement are successful tools in achieving a return to school. Using an empowerment-oriented approach, occupational therapists can support the student to achieve their future goals in life. Students described effective support as life-changing.