This article aims to provide a comprehensive description of the multifaceted influence of dysmenorrhea on women's emotional states and their overall lives, with a focus on both immediate and long-term effects. Immediate impacts include changes in mood and self-perception during menstruation. Changes in self-esteem and identity are among the long-term effects. The research employed a qualitative design involving in-depth interviews with 18 women who have experienced years of painful menstruation. Data were analysed using a combination of thematic analysis (TA) and interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA), providing a robust framework to understand the nuanced experiences of the participants. Our findings revealed that dysmenorrhea significantly affects emotional states, leading to symptoms of depression and anxiety, heightened emotional reactivity during menstrual periods, and negative effects on self-perception and body image. These emotional disturbances are not only limited to the duration of menstruation but extend beyond this, influencing women's daily lives, relationships, and overall mental health. The study highlights how dysmenorrhea can exacerbate feelings of vulnerability, emotional instability, and social withdrawal, contributing to a persistent negative self-image and compromised self-esteem. Moreover, the chronic nature of dysmenorrhea has been linked to deeper psychological impacts, including a diminished sense of self-efficacy and identity disruption. Women report a pervasive sense of loss of control over their bodies, leading to feelings of helplessness and frustration. These experiences underscore the importance of addressing both the physical and psychological aspects of dysmenorrhea in medical and psychological interventions

• MeSH
• Dysmenorrhea * diagnosis   psychology   MeSH
• Emotions * MeSH
• Quality of Life psychology   MeSH
• Humans MeSH
• Body Dissatisfaction psychology   MeSH
• Surveys and Questionnaires MeSH
• Self Concept MeSH
• Anxiety Disorders diagnosis   etiology   psychology   MeSH
• Check Tag
• Humans MeSH
• Female MeSH
• Publication type
• Clinical Study MeSH

The aim of the research was to determine the reasons for the overuse of hypnotics, how sleep changes due to their overuse, the negative effects observed by the users themselves, and whether withdrawal symptoms occur after discontinuing the medication. The research sample consisted of 11 seniors and 4 close persons of the seniors and caregivers. The research employed a qualitative design. The research method was a semi-structured interview, and interpretative phenomenological analysis was used for subsequent data processing. Results: The most common reasons for the overuse of hypnotics include sleep problems and a lack of awareness of the risks associated with overuse. No changes in sleep or effects of hypnotics the day after their use were recorded. Users do not experience negative effects when using hypnotics and do not observe physical withdrawal symptoms but reported feelings of fear, anger, or anxiety. Close persons are often unaware of the overuse of hypnotics, making it difficult for them to address the situation. Regular education by the doctor as a prevention of abuse and addiction is neglected or appears to be insufficient.

Cílem výzkumu bylo zjistit, jaké jsou důvody k nadužívání hypnotik u seniorů, jak se mění jejich spánek vlivem nadužívání, jaké jsou negativní účinky pozorované samotnými uživateli a zda se objevují abstinenční příznaky po vysazení léků. Výzkumný soubor tvořilo 11 seniorů a 4 blízké osoby. Výzkum měl kvalitativní design, konkrétně více případová studie. Výzkumnou metodou bylo polostrukturované interview a pro následné zpracování dat byla využita interpretativní fenomenologická analýza. Výsledky: Mezi nejčastější důvody k užívání hypnotik u seniorů sledovaného souboru patří problémy se spánkem a neznalost rizik spojených s nadužíváním léků. Negativní dopady na spánek ani vedlejší účinky hypnotik následující den po jejich užití nebyly zaznamenány. Senioři zatím nepociťují negativní účinky při užívání hypnotik a nepozorují život ohrožující abstinenční příznaky při vysazení, ale uváděli lehčí odvykací stav, jako jsou pocity strachu, vzteku či obavy z navrácení problémů se spánkem. Blízcí často nevědí o nadužívání hypnotik, takže nemohli situaci řešit. Pravidelná edukace ze strany lékaře jakožto prevence nadužívání a vzniku závislosti je opomíjena nebo se jeví jako nedostatečná.

BACKGROUND: Evidence-based nursing practice (EBNP) has been regarded core competencies in nursing practice and education. Defining evidence-based nursing practice and translating evidence into nursing practice by nursing students who are green to clinical practice in their education journey remain unclear. AIM: To explore how pre-registered nursing students define and characterize evidence-based nursing practice as they participate in their clinical practicum. DESIGN: This study used an interpretive phenomenological qualitative study design. SETTINGS AND PARTICIPANTS: Twenty nursing students were interviewed for their clinical practicum experience from four universities, one nursing college and one hospital-based nursing school in Hong Kong. METHODS: Data was generated through semi-structured in-depth interview and analyzed following interpretative phenomenological analysis guidelines, using a cyclical coding process. RESULTS: Four themes emerged regarding nursing students' definition of EBNP, highlighting that EBNP is 'identifying a reliable learning source', by which they can 'rationalize their nursing practice', and enabling them to 'establish care standard through critical thinking', and eventual 'fostering their professionalism' to improve health outcomes and reduce potential harms. CONCLUSION: Nursing students defined and characterized evidence-based nursing practice as core competencies in accompany their practicum that enables them to learn and grow professionally with a universal desire to be qualified, cope with doubt, and improve patient outcome. They recognized the challenges in identifying evidence and emphasized conservative approach to validate the evidence to avoid patient harm. Students expressed doubt towards their instructors EBNP when observing procedures untaught at school, which requires the curriculum model to foster students' skills in applying and appraising evidence and instructors' capacity to rationalize and role model EBNP.

• MeSH
• Adult MeSH
• Clinical Competence * standards   MeSH
• Qualitative Research * MeSH
• Humans MeSH
• Evidence-Based Nursing * MeSH
• Interviews as Topic methods   MeSH
• Students, Nursing * psychology   MeSH
• Education, Nursing, Baccalaureate * standards   methods   MeSH
• Check Tag
• Adult MeSH
• Humans MeSH
• Male MeSH
• Female MeSH
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH
• Geographicals
• Hong Kong MeSH

BACKGROUND: Limited evidence of young adult patient-reported outcomes and experiences after ischaemic stroke has been conducted. AIM: To investigate the meaning of the lived experiences of stroke patients in working age 12-24 months after their first IS. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The exploratory qualitative study used an interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) design. Nine ischaemic stroke patients (with age ranges from 41 to 50 years) took part in semi-structured qualitative interviews. RESULTS: Even with mild residual neurological deficit, IS negatively impacted the quality of life daily and social life. Six subthemes and three interconnected group experiential themes were generated: (i) From confusion to understanding (ii) Triggers for rebuilding; and (iii) Challenges and benefits. CONCLUSION: The study highlights the current gaps and limitations in supporting the needs of stroke patients in working age in long-term post-stroke care. The findings are crucial for healthcare professionals to develop improved age- and mild- impairment-appropriate strategies or tailor self-management interventions for stroke patients of working age.ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT04839887.

• MeSH
• Stroke psychology   complications   MeSH
• Adult MeSH
• Ischemic Stroke * psychology   MeSH
• Quality of Life * MeSH
• Qualitative Research * MeSH
• Middle Aged MeSH
• Humans MeSH
• Stroke Rehabilitation * psychology   MeSH
• Check Tag
• Adult MeSH
• Middle Aged MeSH
• Humans MeSH
• Male MeSH
• Female MeSH
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH
• Observational Study MeSH

Chronic pain is a common disorder with enormous sociomedical importance. A major part of primary and secondary costs of illness is caused by the various pain syndromes. Nociception - the sensory perception of a painful stimulus - is a complex process relying on an intricate system of anatomical, neurophysiological and biochemical networks. This applies even more so to pain - the state of experiencing a nociceptive event, of interpreting it in terms of meaning for the affected individual and of suffering a range of emotions it elicits. This intricacy renders it obvious, that the empirical medical sciences alone cannot explain all aspects of pain. Hence, it has also become a focus of phenomenological research. One aspect of these investigations is the interaction of pain and the perception of the lived body's spatiality. The focus of this article will build on these concepts to develop a construct of the alteration of temporality caused by chronic pain and the effects this spells out for the affected subject. To this end, I will primarily draw on Merleau-Ponty's ideas of the lived body as well as on theories of enactivism and embodiment. I will also point out parallels to neuroscientific data, thereby demonstrating the proximity of phenomenology and neuroscience. A possible partial solution to the pain dilemma may be derived from psychology: techniques relying on cognitive behavioural intervention, awareness training, and existential analysis may provide alleviation to patients suffering from chronic pain.

• MeSH
• Chronic Pain * psychology   therapy   MeSH
• Philosophy, Medical * MeSH
• Humans MeSH
• Check Tag
• Humans MeSH
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH

Aims: To gain a rich understanding of young stroke patients' lived experience one year after their first ischemic stroke. Methods: An interpretative phenomenological analysis design was used to explore the meaning of the lived experience of young stroke patients. Eight stroke survivors, aged 18-50, years took part in semi-structured qualitative interviews. Results: Stroke was not only perceived as a traumatic event that led to losses and limitations; for many participants, it was a "turning point" or a path of growth with new challenges and opportunities. Ten subthemes and three interconnected group experiential themes were generated: (i) Stroke as a sudden and unexpected event; (ii) Continuity and discontinuity of self; and (iii) Social participation. Conclusion: This research highlights several issues within current clinical services for young stroke patients one year after their first ischemic stroke. Implications for patient care - guidelines for special rehabilitation and occupational therapy programmes should be primarily concerned with overcoming residual problems after stroke. Practicing instrumental activities of daily living or skills needed for return to work is also important, as well as the existential aspects of recovery.

• MeSH
• Adult MeSH
• Ischemic Stroke * psychology   MeSH
• Quality of Life psychology   MeSH
• Middle Aged MeSH
• Humans MeSH
• Young Adult MeSH
• Surveys and Questionnaires MeSH
• Interviews as Topic MeSH
• Social Participation psychology   MeSH
• Check Tag
• Adult MeSH
• Middle Aged MeSH
• Humans MeSH
• Young Adult MeSH
• Publication type
• Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't MeSH

BACKGROUND: There was a substantial documented call for healthcare professionals to provide compassionate care during the COVID-19 pandemic and significant criticism voiced when it was lacking. This study aimed to explore perspectives on compassionate care among healthcare professionals providing care during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study focuses on healthcare professionals who participated in a wide range of COVID-19 measures, including testing, quarantine, diagnosis, and care provision (patients with COVID-19 or patients with other illnesses and comorbid with COVID-19). METHODS: A qualitative design with an interpretative phenomenological analysis approach was used. Twenty frontline healthcare professionals (15 nurses and five physicians) who had worked in COVID-19 facilities in China were interviewed individually. RESULTS: Participants stated that a commitment to 'offering oneself' and 'balancing the advantages/disadvantages' in providing care during the pandemic were key to alleviate population-level suffering. On a personal level, they described a desire for obtaining 'mutual support' and improving 'professional competencies' to safeguard their physical and mental well-being. Two professional competencies were notable: coping with grief and implementing infection control across the organization. Additionally, they emphasized the importance of receiving support from the health care organization, the public, and leaders in creating an 'environment conducive to fostering compassionate care.' CONCLUSION: Healthcare professionals recognized the centrality of compassionate care during the pandemic which entailed a commitment to offering themselves, the balancing of advantages and disadvantages in order to find the best solution, as well as the need to safeguard themselves using professional competencies. Such findings can enrich the contemporary understanding of compassion, including when it is lacking. Support from the healthcare organization, the public, and leadership were crucial in fostering compassionate care in healthcare professionals during the pandemic and in moving the field forward in the future.

• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH

Sri Lankan Tamil refugees (SLTRs) have lived in the United Kingdom in substantial numbers for about three decades. However, they remain under-represented in academic and public discourse, and little is known about their migration experiences. This study examined first-hand accounts of such experiences, with special attention paid to identity and acculturation. Data were collected through four semi-structured interviews and analysed using interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA). The results suggest that SLTRs' experience of conflict as an imposed life disruption continues to shape their adaptation, identity, and meaning-making ("Afflicted life"). Changing social identities mediate protection from, as well as risk of, trauma. SLTRs try to remedy the socio-economic and emotional losses suffered in the conflict, but achieve only a partial compensation. Consequently their repair efforts are a source not only of positive emotions but also of dissatisfaction ("Living past"). Finally, participants' sense of belonging and quest for home represent a challenging socio-emotional process in which they continue to engage even decades after migration ("Continuing quest for home"). This nuanced analysis of how the past continues to shape lived experience, contributes to the under-developed literature on qualitative psychological investigations of acculturation, research on forced migration, and the establishment of IPA in social psychology.

• MeSH
• Acculturation * MeSH
• Adult MeSH
• Qualitative Research MeSH
• Middle Aged MeSH
• Humans MeSH
• Social Identification * MeSH
• Refugees * psychology   MeSH
• Check Tag
• Adult MeSH
• Middle Aged MeSH
• Humans MeSH
• Male MeSH
• Female MeSH
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH
• Geographicals
• United Kingdom MeSH
• Sri Lanka MeSH

Aim: The idiographic case study aimed to explore the trust of a person with chronic pancreatitis in healthcare professionals. Design: An interpretive phenomenological idiographic case study. Methods: Data collection was carried out through a semi-structured in-depth interview with a 29-year-old man with chronic pancreatitis. The purposive sampling of the participant was carried out according to feasibility criteria. Interpretative phenomenological analysis was used with the assistance of Atlas.ti 9 for data analysis. Results: Five interconnected personal experiential themes reflecting the trust of the participant in healthcare professionals were identified: Trust in healthcare professionals as an inner feeling; Active and partnership approach of healthcare professionals; Paternalistic approach and lack of interest of healthcare professionals in the patient; Expertise of healthcare professionals; and Linking trust in health professionals with the hospital ward environment, with 22 experiential statements. Conclusion: The participant considered trust to be an internal feeling of expectation that healthcare professionals would help him actively solve his health problems. The findings promote the implementation of patient-centered care and the partnership approach in the care of patients with chronic pancreatitis. The personal experience themes identified provide information for further qualitative research aimed at a deeper understanding of the lived experience of trust for patients with chronic pancreatitis.

• MeSH
• Patient Safety MeSH
• Pancreatitis, Chronic nursing   psychology   MeSH
• Adult MeSH
• Trust * psychology   MeSH
• Single-Case Studies as Topic MeSH
• Humans MeSH
• Professional-Patient Relations * MeSH
• Health Care Quality, Access, and Evaluation MeSH
• Check Tag
• Adult MeSH
• Humans MeSH
• Male MeSH
• Publication type
• Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't MeSH

Východiska. Elektronické cigarety jsou na trhu osmnáct let, ale chybí dostatečné empirické podklady o jejich škodlivosti. Uživatele lákají hlavně svým minimalistickým a moderním vzhledem, zajímavými příchutěmi a poměrně snadnou dostupností. Z těchto důvodů se snadno dostávají mezi dospívající, u kterých se množství uživatelů neustále zvyšuje. Cíle. Cílem práce je popsání motivů a důvodů pro užívání elektronických cigaret u adolescentů. Dále popsat postoj rodičů k dané problematice a jak se změnil pohled adolescentů na jejich sebehodnotu v souvislosti s kouřením. Metody. Je zvolen kvalitativní design výzkumu, konkrétně případové studie. Data jsou získávána pomocí polostrukturovaných rozhovorů. Soubor | Soubor tvoří 10 respondentů ve věku od 16 do 18 let, kteří jsou vybráni nepravděpodobnostními metodami výběru. Následně jsou data analyzována pomocí metody IPA. Výsledky. Výsledky ukazují, že hlavními důvody užívání jsou chuť a vůně elektronických cigaret. Jsou to zároveň dvě nejčastěji spojované výhody v porovnání s cigaretami klasickými. Mezi nevýhody je v současnosti zařazena pouze jejich cena. Zároveň velkou roli hraje sociální prostředí a nátlak vrstevníků. Sociální skupina je hlavním zdrojem první zkušenosti a i následného pravidelného užívání. Rodiče jsou často sami aktivními kuřáky, své děti o škodlivosti dlouhodobě needukují a mají ke kouření benevolentní postoj. Vliv skupiny a také vliv elektronické cigarety byl výrazný. Všichni respondenti se pohybovali ve skupině kuřáků, kde mají elektronické cigarety velkou roli, hlavně v utváření vztahů a v pronikání do skupin starších. Závěry. Elektronické cigarety jsou vnímány jako bezpečnější varianta tabákových výrobků, ačkoli si uživatelé uvědomují jejich rizika. Nutná je v tomto ohledu prevence dané problematiky

Background. Electronic cigarettes have been available for eighteen years, but evidence of their harmfulness remains limited. Adolescents are drawn to their minimalist design, intriguing flavours, and accessibility, contributing to their rising popularity. Objectives. This study explores adolescents' motivations for using electronic cigarettes, examines parents’ attitudes, and investigates how adolescents’ self-perceptions regarding smoking have evolved. Methods. Case studies are used as the qualitative research design. Data were collected through semi- structured interviews with ten adolescents aged 16–18, selected via non-probability sampling. Data were analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). Results. Adolescents report taste and scent as primary reasons for using electronic cigarettes, highlighting these as key advantages over traditional cigarettes. The main drawback noted is cost. Peer pressure and social environments significantly influence usage, with social groups often introducing and normalizing electronic cigarettes. Parents, often smokers themselves, display permissive attitudes and fail to educate their children about long-term health risks. All the respondents were part of a group of smokers where electronic cigarettes play an important role, particularly in developing relationships and integrating into older groups. Conclusions. Adolescents view electronic cigarettes as a safer alternative to traditional tobacco, though they recognize associated risks. These findings underscore the need for targeted education and prevention strategies to address this growing issue.