Unemployment and health: experiences narrated by young Finnish men.

Studies have shown that the experiences and consequences of unemployment can affect people differently depending on, for example, age and gender. The purpose of the present study was to describe young Finnish men's experiences of being unemployed as well as how their experiences of health emerged. Fifteen young unemployed Finnish men in the age range 18 to 27 years were interviewed face to face. Purposive sampling was used to increase the variation among informants. The interview texts were analyzed using both manifest and latent qualitative content analysis. The present results showed that the young men were strongly negatively affected by being unemployed. They described how they had slowly lost their foothold. They also described feelings of shame and guilt as well as a flight from reality. The present results show that even young men who have only experienced shorter periods of unemployment, in this study periods between 2 and 6 months, are negatively affected, for example, with regard to their identity and emotional life. Further research is needed to describe and elucidate in more detail the effects of unemployment on men of different ages and living in different contexts.

Community nurses' experiences of ethical problems in end-of-life care in the patient's own home.

AIM: To gain a deeper understanding of community nurses' experiences of ethical problems in end-of-life care in the patient's own home. METHOD: Ten female nurses from five different communities with experience of end-of-life care were interviewed. A hermeneutic approach inspired by Gadamer was used to analyse the qualitative data from the interviews. FINDINGS: In the first step of interpretation, two themes emerged: Uncomfortable feelings and Lack of cooperation and in the second step, one theme Lack of security emerged. Finally, the overall interpretation revealed the theme Feelings of loss of control in end-of-life care in the patient's own home. CONCLUSION: The nurses exhibited commitment and a desire to do good when caring for patients in the end-of-life phase, even if they sometimes experienced feelings of lack of control. This implies that, when confronted with care-related issues, they have the power to both act and react. This study aimed to increase understanding of ethical problems that arise in end-of-life care in the patient's own home and revealed the need to take the patients', relatives' and nurses' perspectives on health and suffering into consideration to ensure good end-of-life home care.

A qualitative study of complementary and alternative medicine use in persons with uninvestigated dyspepsia.

Dyspepsia is a common disorder. A lack of effective therapies for managing dyspepsia may invite use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). The aim of this study was to elucidate CAM methods and their perceived effects in a middle-sized community in Sweden. Group interviews were used. Persons with uninvestigated dyspepsia, according to the Rome II criteria, were included. Data were studied systematically using manifest content analysis. A total of 25 persons (13 women and 12 men) were assigned to five different groups. The CAM methods used by participants were categorized as follows: (1) nutritional, (2) drug/biological, (3) spiritual/psychological, and (4) physical activity. In this study, 26 CAM methods associated with various effects were identified and all persons had used at least one method.