International Journal of Qualitative Studies on Health and Well-Being最新文献

Purpose: Despite children being young carers for people living with dementia globally, and evidence suggesting they need more support, there is limited research evaluating best practice for dementia-care related interventions for children. The purpose of this work was therefore to comprehensively summarise the existing literature by synthesising studies appraising existing child-focused and dementia-care relevant interventions.

Method: A mixed methods systematic review with a convergent integrated synthesis approach. Four databases were systematically searched from 1st January 2013 to 9th February 2024. Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods studies evaluating any intervention programme that aimed to improve children's understanding and/or support for people living with dementia were included.

Results: Seventeen studies, evaluating 15 different interventions (1,345 participants), were eligible for inclusion. Extracted data were inductively synthesised into 18 categories, forming six integrated findings relating to what makes interventions useful for helping children to understand and/or support people living with dementia.

Conclusions: The findings can inform the development of interventions for children with dementia care responsibilities, and further robust research.

Background: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a chronic condition with a debilitating symptom profile that significantly impacts quality of life (QoL). While its physiological burden is well-documented, innovative qualitative approaches can offer valuable insights into the lived experience, and its broader impact on wellbeing.

Methods: Eight participants contributed 67 photographs using a photovoice methodology. Participants were invited via social media platforms and patient support networks (Breathe Easy Networks). Each participant provided up to ten photographs illustrating the impact of COPD and completed a follow-up interview for contextual understanding.

Results: Thematic analysis of interviews and images identified three key themes: (1) self-criticism, shame and emotional responses to COPD, (2) interactions and relationships with others and (3) strategies and methods to help with well-being and managing the impact of COPD. Breathlessness emerged as a pervasive experience underpinning emotional responses, shaping perceptions of loss, change and experience of others.

Conclusion: COPD's impact extends beyond physical symptoms, encompassing psychological and social dimensions. Photovoice offered a novel lens to explore these complexities highlighting the importance of addressing self-criticism, shame, emotional responses and interactions with others in patient care. Interventions should consider both individual coping strategies and systemic factors influencing daily life.

Background: Previous research shows that early childhood care has a significant impact on lifelong health. Supportive and nurturing parenting promotes resilience, while adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) increase the risk of health and developmental challenges. Studies also indicate that the foundation of the parental role is shaped by one's own upbringing. In Norwegian antenatal care and child health clinic (CHC) services, healthcare professionals are expected to discuss parenting with parents. However, we have limited knowledge about how parental guidance is delivered and experienced during CHC consultations.

Objective: To explore how parents and public health nurses (PHNs) experience the integration of parental guidance in routine CHC consultations, particularly in relation to challenges in early parenthood, and how these services can best support families through existing contact.

Methods: We conducted a qualitative interview-based study consisting of in-depth interviews with eight mothers and one father, as well as two focus group interviews with eight PHNs from two medium-sized municipalities in Norway.

Results: Based on an analysis of interviews with both parents and PHNs, four themes were developed: 1) challenges in parenthood: from time constraints to taboo emotions; 2) experiences from their own upbringing: continuation and change; 3) encountering the child health clinic: safe and accessible - primarily for mother and child; and 4) parental guidance: unnoticeably present.

Conclusion: Parents and PHNs described CHCs as safe and accessible but noted that parental guidance was often subtle or unclear. PHNs emphasized joint reflection around parenthood but faced time constraints. Parents valued reflecting on their own upbringing and called for extended follow-up and greater inclusion of fathers. Tailoring guidance to family needs - combining reflective and direct approaches - may strengthen support and promote family relationships.

Purpose: Many COVID-19 studies treat the student population as homogenous, concealing the experiences of vulnerable groups. This study conceptualised vulnerability during the pandemic as an intersection of being a first-year student with a history of poor mental health and being from a low-income background. The aim of this study was to understand how these students' profiles shape their university and educational experience over 1 year of the pandemic.

Methods: Longitudinal, semi-structured interviews with 20 first-year students from UK universities were conducted during the 2020-2021 academic year. The interview data were analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA).

Results: Themes were (i) (Not) managing mental health impacts, where participants expressed a sense of barely surviving; (ii) little choice, more risk, and more isolation, where low-income students reported struggling to balance the risk of illness with employment; and (iii) Past mental health experiences: Feeling more isolated and forgotten, where previous experiences of poor mental health left students vulnerable to a spiralling state of poor mental well-being.

Discussion: This study identified how vulnerabilities intersect and interact with challenging circumstances to reveal how those inequalities were experienced by students. Recommendations were made to support students by improving visibility and access to mental health services.

Purpose: The purpose of this in-depth interview study was to explore how parents of children with sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) experienced genetic testing and whether they experienced risks and benefits.

Background: Most children with SNHL have a genetic etiology, which can be identified through genetic sequencing. A genetic test does not influence treatment, and whether patients and parents perceived genetic tests as valuable is unclear.

Methods: In this study, 10 parents of children with SNHL who underwent genetic testing were interviewed, and the content was analyzed using inductive thematic analysis.

Results: Three global themes were identified. In the first theme, (1) Limited knowledge creates uncertainty, parents described uncertainty related to the information provided, the test result itself and child-related factors. The second theme, (2) Genetic knowledge is considered important for the family and the future, explored the importance of knowledge. Parents wanted an explanation to make the future predictable, and the test had practical implications. In the last category, (3) Knowledge adds complexity and can be challenging, ethical considerations and risks associated with knowledge were highlighted.

Conclusion: The main conclusion was that parents experienced that genetic testing provided valuable personal information and had practical implications. However, a genetic diagnosis can cause concern and may affect family planning.

Background: Health interventions for individuals with prediabetes are essential to prevent or delay progression to type 2 diabetes. Adherence to lifestyle modification is complex and influenced by social determinants that act as barriers or facilitators. Gender, social class, social support, and the patient-professional relationship may shape individuals' capacity to adopt and maintain behavioural changes. This study aimed to explore how these factors influence adherence to lifestyle modification among people with prediabetes.

Methods: Ethnomethodological study with a critical social perspective. Data were collected through fifteen semi-structured interviews, one focus group, and a support network mapping exercise. Analysis combined thematic content analysis and critical discourse analysis. Rigour was ensured through data saturation, investigator triangulation, and reflexivity. The study followed the Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Research (COREQ).

Results: Women across social classes reported significant barriers, including work overload, caregiving responsibilities, and weaker support networks, whereas men often benefited from stronger family support. Participants from lower socioeconomic backgrounds faced additional challenges, such as financial limitations affecting healthy food choices and lack of time for exercise. Trust-based and supportive relationships with healthcare professionals emerged as important facilitators of sustained lifestyle change.

Conclusion: Gender and social class play a key role in prediabetes management. These findings highlight the importance of personalised, equity-focused interventions that address social determinants to improve prevention strategies.

Trial registration: The research protocol was registered in a clinical trial registry prior to data collection (registration number: NCT06488677 on July 5, 2024).

Purpose: This study examines factors that facilitate or limit empowerment within Swedish residential care homes based on the perspectives of first-line managers, care workers, and residents' relatives. Empowerment among formal and informal supporters may create conditions for residents' empowerment and self-determination.

Methods: Secondary analysis was conducted using data from two projects across 19 residential care homes, including six group interviews with 24 care workers, 16 individual interviews with relatives, and 19 interviews with first-line managers. Structural and psychological empowerment was used as an analytical framework.

Results: Empowerment was shaped by structural conditions such as time, staffing, decision-making authority and everyday interactions. Care workers and managers described how limited resources and authority reduced their ability to meet professional standards and policy expectations. Relatives often felt excluded, which weakened their influence and affected residents' opportunities for self-determination. Empowerment is interdependent across roles: constraints experienced by one group can limit the others, while supportive structures can strengthen empowerment across the system. At times, tensions arose regarding whose influence should take precedence in decisions.

Conclusion: Strengthening structural conditions and supportive relationships at all organizational levels is essential for sustainable work environments and high-quality, person-centered care, particularly for residents who depend on others in decision-making.

Background: Following the COVID-19 pandemic, global health systems continue to face strain. Understanding how crises shape professional development is vital for strengthening nursing education and sustaining the workforce. This study explored how nursing students in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia maintained their sense of belonging to the nursing profession after the pandemic and how these experiences affected their career decisions.

Methods: An exploratory, descriptive, and qualitative design was adopted using semi-structured interviews. Using purposive sampling, eight undergraduate and postgraduate nursing students from various Saudi universities participated in semi-structured interviews conducted via Zoom. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis.

Results: Three themes and five subthemes were identified from the participants' experiences. The themes included social recognition and appreciation, psychological impact of the pandemic, professional identity, and career orientation. These themes were interrelated and encompassed the social, emotional, and professional dimensions of the participants' experiences. These dimensions often overlap, illustrating how the COVID-19 pandemic has shaped students' sense of belonging, emotional strength, and commitment to nursing.

Conclusion: The COVID-19 pandemic had a transformative impact on Saudi nursing students' professional identities, resilience, and sense of belonging. Despite disruptions, students demonstrated adaptability, ethical commitment, and a broadened view of nursing as a socially impactful and multifaceted profession. Thus, incorporating structured mentorship, emotional support, and inclusive learning environments in nursing education, which foster professional identity during and after the easing of pandemic restrictions and other crisis conditions is crucial. Future research should investigate these dynamics across a broader range of institutional and cultural contexts to develop resilient and inclusive nursing education models.

Purpose: This study aims to explore how middle-aged men perceive gender equality and fairness, and to investigate the underlying causes and behavioral responses to what they perceive as reverse discrimination. Specifically, it seeks to deeply understand the unique challenges and shifting perceptions of middle-aged men in the context of rapid socio-cultural transitions currently occurring in South Korea.

Methods: This study employed qualitative research methods, conducting semi-structured in-depth interviews with 15 middle-aged men who have children. The collected interview data were rigorously analyzed using the Consensual Qualitative Research (CQR) method to ensure objectivity. The research team individually reviewed the interview transcripts and systematically analyzed the data through three distinct stages: domain identification, core ideas extraction, and cross-analysis.

Results: The study identified four main domains as the causes of perceived reverse discrimination among middle-aged men: uncomfortable expectations and prejudices, perception of preferential treatment towards women, changing roles and responsibilities, and lack of institutional support. Additionally, their responses to perceived reverse discrimination were categorized into three domains: denial/suppression, involuntary compliance, and cognitive restructuring.

Conclusions: This study provides important insights into how middle-aged men react to gender equality policies and broader social changes. These findings offer a foundational basis for psychological counseling and policy development. Furthermore, the results contribute to reducing social conflicts and fostering mutual understanding in the ongoing process of promoting gender equality within Korean society.

Background: In Bangladesh, households experience high out-of-pocket healthcare expenditure, with below-poverty-line population being disproportionately affected. To reduce financial hardship, the government piloted a social health protection scheme targeting poor households in selected sub-districts. This study examined the implementation barriers of the scheme.

Method: A mixed-methods design was applied. Quantitative data were collected through survey of enrolled households (n = 806). The qualitative component comprised KIIs (n = 10) with scheme implementers and healthcare providers, and FGDs (n = 5) with beneficiaries.

Results: Household survey indicated low service utilization (16.1%) among cardholders. Awareness of specific benefits was also limited, with only 19.1 percent aware of free diagnostics and 9.4 percent aware of free referrals. Qualitative findings confirmed these demand-side barriers, highlighting inadequate knowledge of beneficiaries, dissatisfaction with care quality, and negligence in service delivery. Key supply-side challenges included staff shortages, low provider motivation, and delays in claim settlement. The absence of outpatient coverage emerged as a common concern across stakeholders. At the ecosystem level, weak local-level coordination and rigid public financial rules further hindered implementation.

Conclusion: Implementation challenges were largely systemic, reflecting misalignment between program design and operational realities. Addressing these challenges is essential to ensure the success of future initiatives in Bangladesh and comparable settings.