Accompaniment of young adults at the end-of-life: The spouse's lived experience.

PURPOSE: Studies with the spouses of young adults with cancer at the end-of-life are scarce, and it is little known how they experience care. This study aims to understand the lived experience of the phenomenon of accompaniment for young adults at end-of-life by their spouse. METHOD: This was a qualitative study, with a hermeneutic-phenomenological design, guided by the conceptual principles of Heidegger and Gadamer. Seven phenomenological interviews were carried out with spouses of young adults, whose narratives were analyzed according to the Gadamerian perspective. RESULTS: The phenomenon of accompaniment unfolded into eight topics: "Accompanying as a human commitment", "Anticipating loss", "Setting limits", "Navigating under the shadow of death through the health services", "Keeping away the shadow of death by infusing life", "Being with", "Initiating the unknown path step by step, seeking to rebuild and co-construct oneself", "The subjectivity and paradoxicality of the lived time". CONCLUSIONS: The accompaniment showed to be the most challenging lived experience for these spouses. They were faced with the threat of their partner's untimely death, which determined their expectations from institutions and health professionals. Faced with this threat, they showed to be diligent in the care of their partner, seeking to provide them with more time to live and a meaningful life. This experience was characterized by multiple losses that resulted in suffering, which left marks on the spouses that conditioned the way they saw the present and the future. These results suggest the need for a differentiated intervention to mitigate the suffering of this spouses.

Acceptability and Feasibility of the ProLiSMental Psychoeducational Intervention to Promote Adolescents' Mental Health Literacy on Anxiety in a School Context.

The ProLiSMental psychoeducational intervention intends to promote adolescents' mental health literacy on anxiety, facilitating their access, understanding, evaluation, and use of effective mental health information. This study aimed to assess the acceptability and feasibility of that intervention in a school context and improve its content, structure, and procedure. A convenience sample of seventeen participants has been recruited: eleven students (mean age = 14.09 years, SD = 0,30) and six education and health professionals (mean age = 53.00 years, SD = 4,05). High levels of acceptability and feasibility of the ProLiSMental psychoeducational intervention were observed and important improvements were made.

Adolescents' Empowerment for Mental Health Literacy in School: A Pilot Study on ProLiSMental Psychoeducational Intervention.

Adolescence is a critical life phase for mental health and anxiety an emerging challenge for adolescents. Psychoeducational interventions to promote mental health literacy (MHL) on anxiety in adolescents are needed. This study aimed to test the primary outcome of a future full-scale trial: improvement of adolescents' anxiety MHL components on recognition, prevention strategies, and self-help strategies. A sample of 38 adolescents, 24 (63.2%) females and 14 (36.8%) males, with an average age of 14.50 years (SD = 0.89) participated in this study. Each class was allocated to the intervention group (IG, n = 21) or the waiting list control group (WLCG, n = 17) with single-blinded randomization. MHL was assessed using the QuALiSMental. The ProLiSMental psychoeducational intervention consists of four or eight weekly sessions of 90 or 45 min for adolescents, using different active pedagogical methods and techniques. There also are initial and final sessions with adolescents, legal guardians, and teachers. There was a significant improvement with a small to relatively strong effect size in many dimensions of anxiety MHL components. This study suggests the progression to the full-scale trial and values the important role of mental health and psychiatric nurses in the adolescents' empowerment for MHL in schools.

Tornar-se mãe de um segundo filho: a experiência do muito e do limite / Ser madre de un segundo hijo: la experiencia de lo mucho y del límite / Becoming a second-time mother: the experience of too much and the limit

Resumo Objetivo Compreender a experiência vivida da mulher ao tornar-se mãe de um segundo filho. Métodos O desenho do estudo adota uma metodologia qualitativa com abordagem fenomenológica hermenêutica. A colheita de dados foi realizada em duas creches da área de Leiria. Foram realizadas entrevistas fenomenológicas a onze mulheres, com um segundo filho, de idade compreendida entre os 18 e os 24 meses. As atividades desenvolvidas no processo de análise de dados tiveram em consideração as orientações de Van Manen. Resultados Tornar-se mãe de dois filhos emergiu como "uma experiência completamente diferente", na medida em que dois filhos, uma família, exigem a realização de inúmeras atividades pela mulher, que a conduzem à experiência do muito e do limite, do ir além de si, na procura de um novo eu, que quer encontrar o essencial. A procura de ajuda é o caminho percorrido pela mulher, num tempo em que precisa de mais apoio. Conclusão Este estudo abre uma nova perspetiva de compreensão do fenómeno de transição da parentalidade podendo assim ter impacto na prática clinica dos enfermeiros.

Resumen Objetivo Comprender la experiencia vivida por una mujer al convertirse en madre de un segundo hijo. Métodos El diseño del estudio adopta una metodología cualitativa con enfoque fenomenológico hermenéutico. La recopilación de datos se realizó en dos guarderías de la zona de Leiria. Se realizaron encuestas fenomenológicas a 11 mujeres con un segundo hijo entre 18 y 24 meses de edad. Las actividades desarrolladas en el proceso de análisis de datos siguieron las instrucciones de Van Manen. Resultados Ser madre de dos hijos surgió como "una experiencia completamente diferente", en la medida en que dos hijos, una familia, exigen la realización de incontables actividades por parte de la mujer, que la conducen a la experiencia de lo mucho y del límite, de ir más allá de sí misma, buscando un nuevo yo que quiere encontrar lo esencial. La búsqueda de ayuda es el camino que la mujer atraviesa, en un momento en que necesita más apoyo. Conclusión Este estudio abre una nueva perspectiva de comprensión del fenómeno de transición de la parentalidad y puede tener impacto en la práctica clínica de los enfermeros.

Abstract Objective To understand the woman's experience of becoming a second-time mother. Methods The study design adopts a qualitative methodology with a hermeneutic phenomenological approach. Data collection was performed in two daycare centers in the Leiria area. Phenomenological interviews were conducted with 11 women with a second child aged between 18 and 24 months. Van Manen's guidelines were taken into account in the activities developed in the data analysis process. Results Becoming a second-time mother emerged as "a completely different experience" in that two children and a family require the performance of numerous activities by the woman, which leads her to the experience of too much and the limit, of going beyond herself in the search for a new self who wants to find the essential. The search for help is the path taken by the woman at a time when she needs more support. Conclusion This study opens a new perspective of understanding the phenomenon of transition to parenthood and may have an impact on nurses' clinical practice.

Sudden informal caregivers: the lived experience of informal caregivers after an unexpected event.

AIM: The purpose of this qualitative study was to understand the lived experience of individuals taking on the role of informal adult caregivers after an unexpected event involving a relative. BACKGROUND: The literature on the development of the role of informal caregivers widely recognises that protecting and promoting the quality of life of caregivers should be a priority for health professionals. However, knowledge about how individuals develop as sudden caregivers is scarce, with existing knowledge centring mainly on the physical aspects of caregiving. What it means to become a caregiver or to experience role redefinition remains largely unclear. DESIGN: Hermeneutic phenomenology provided the framework that guided this study. METHODS: Unstructured interviews were used for collecting data. We used Van Manen's approach to analyse data and to reveal themes. Reflexivity and collaborative analysis were used to address rigour. RESULTS: From caregivers' interviews (n = 14), four main themes were identified: losing control over time, feeling alone, failing expectations and taking over someone else's life. CONCLUSIONS: The caregiving experience is characterised as a transition process or a period of ongoing focussing and de-focussing. The extent to which caregivers feel connected with others, redefine their personal use of time and feel comfortable with their new responsibilities indicates how they are managing this transition and how well they are achieving balance in their new role, i.e. from feeling 'exclusively' a caregiver to being 'also' a caregiver. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: Facilitating successful transitions is within the scope of the role of professional nurses. Information about the meaning that caregivers attribute to their experience - relationships, options and strategies - is crucial, as it will help nurses to plan, assess and design adequate nursing interventions to support informal caregivers, especially in unexpected situations.