A qualitative study of teenagers' decisions to undergo orthodontic treatment with fixed appliance.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to describe thoughts and values influencing young people's choices to undergo orthodontic treatment. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Twenty-eight patients (11 boys), aged 13-19 years, at an orthodontic clinic in the western part of Sweden participated. Open, taped interviews, lasting about 1 hour, were conducted with each subject and analysed by the grounded theory method. Five descriptive categories, each related to several subcategories, were generated in the analysis and labelled: 'being like everyone else', 'being diagnosed', 'focusing on the mouth', 'obeying social norms' and 'forced decision-making'. OUTCOME: Category forced decision-making was identified as a core category, describing the power in the social process, resulting in the decision to undergo orthodontic treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Motivation for the decision to undergo orthodontic treatment seemed to be social norms, and the beauty culture in their reference group and in society in general. The teenagers were not fully conscious of these external influences. Their opinion, as a group, was that they had made an independent decision to undergo orthodontic treatment.

Breast cancer and experiences of social support. In-depth interviews of 10 women with newly diagnosed breast cancer.

The present study aimed to describe how 10 Norwegian women with newly diagnosed breast cancer experienced living with the disease. A qualitative method based on principles in Grounded Theory was used. Data were collected through in-depth interviews. This paper explores the experience of social support as it evolves in women's relationships with others. Social support contains emotional, practical and informative dimensions. Here relationships are called interactions. Interaction can be divided into two groups. Interactions with close relatives and others the women know and have contact with. Interactions with organizations and institution staff. These interactions consist of social support and lack of social support. Health professionals can assist women and their families in this life-threatening situation, by increasing their awareness of social support issues.

Living with newly diagnosed breast cancer--the meaning of existential issues. A qualitative study of 10 women with newly diagnosed breast cancer, based on grounded theory.

This study aimed to describe how 10 Norwegian women diagnosed with breast cancer experienced living with the disease. A qualitative method was used, including open-ended in-depth interviews based on principles in Grounded Theory. Data revealed that existential awareness was a central phenomenon in the women's experience. This central finding created the basis for the core category in data: the will to live. This core category includes existential aspects such as different levels of life expectations, the fight against death, life related to the future, religious beliefs and doubts, and increased awareness of values in life. Knowledge and an understanding of how women experience being diagnosed with cancer are prerequisites for supporting the women in a process of normalization. This study has shown that the existential aspects connected with the core category, the will to live, are a central issue in recovery and survival. The study suggests that health professionals, by increasing their awareness of existential aspects connected with the will to live, can assist women and their families in developing coping strategies.

The meaning of mental health from elderly women's perspectives: a basis for health promotion.

PROBLEM: To gain a deeper understanding of the meaning of mental health. METHODS: Qualitative interviews with 16 women between the ages of 71 and 92. The data were collected and analyzed using a phenomenological approach. FINDINGS: The essence of mental health is the experience of confirmation, trust and confidence in the future, as well as a zest for life, development, and involvement in one's relationship to oneself and to others. CONCLUSIONS: Creating arenas for encounters confirming the individual's human existence and dignity is an important basis for the psychiatric nurse's health-promotion work.

The meaning of depression from the life-world perspective of elderly women.

Depression is a serious public health problem that particularly affects women and elderly people. The aim of this phenomenological study was to gain a deeper understanding of depression in elderly women by investigating and describing the meaning of depression from a life-world perspective. Qualitative interviews were conducted with five elderly women suffering from depression; they were transcribed and analysed using the phenomenological method. The essence of depression emerged as 'reexperiencing a severe personal insult' and the perception of 'increased sensitivity and vulnerability.' These two components constituted the breeding ground for an additional five characteristics. Depression was perceived as a severe multidimensional suffering that affected physical, mental, social, and spiritual aspects, where previous experiences merged with the current situation. Thus, the whole life space of these women was affected. In its most severe form, depression and, thereby, life was perceived as unbearable. The meaning that emerged from the women's descriptions can be understood against the background of the aging individual's retrospection and summation of life.

The baby was the focus of attention - first-time parents' experiences of their intimate relationship.

The baby was the focus of attention - first-time parents' experience of their intimate relationship. The purpose of this study was to describe the phenomenon of 'first-time parents' intimate relationship', to focus on their mental health, and the ability to support them professionally. Ten Swedish parents (five couples) were interviewed on two occasions, when the first baby was 6 and 18 months old, respectively. A descriptive phenomenological method was used. The findings show that the essence of the phenomenon is 'The baby was the focus of attention'. This had different meanings for the couples, putting them in two categories. For the first category, the essence was that the baby was the focus of mutual concern, which implied a fostered relationship. The strain of parenthood in this category was mild. In the second category, the baby was focused on at the expense of the father, who felt rejected emotionally. This impaired the relationship and parenthood involved a severe strain. The way the spouses communicated differed between the two categories. This study shows that mental health can be affected, especially among first-time fathers, and this could jeopardize the relationship and family health. An awareness of this fact is needed among the health professionals giving care to first-time parents.