1,721,080 research outputs found
An exploration of illness representations in older age
No full textThe portfolio thesis is divided into three parts:Part one is a systematic literature review exploring the literature in relation to illness representations and older people living with health conditions. A systematic search of three databases identified ten studies in the area. The findings of the studies are analysed using a qualitative method to identify what has been examined in the literature to date. Three themes were extracted from this method: ‘associations between the constructs of the common sense model of illness representations’, ‘coping and health outcomes’ and ‘variables associated with illness representations’. The findings are discussed in relation to research in chronic illness management, clinical implications and directions for future research.Part two is an empirical paper that explores the experience of epilepsy in older age. The study employs an interpretative phenomenological analysis. The illness representation model is used as a framework (Leventhal, Nerenz, & Steele, 1984) for conducting semi-structured interviews. Ten older people with a diagnosis of epilepsy took part in the study. Three super-ordinate and eight subordinate themes emerged from the data. These themes are discussed in relation to clinical implications and the wider literature of epilepsy, health and ageing.Part three consists of the appendices supporting the systematic literature review and the empirical paper. It also includes a reflective statement of the research process
An exploration of the motherhood decision
Full text linkThe portfolio thesis is separated into three parts: a meta-synthesis of qualitative research, an empirical study and appendices.Part one is a meta-synthesis reviewing the published qualitative literature regarding the decision to remain childfree in women. The aim of the synthesis was to provide healthcare professionals with an in depth insight into the influences and consequences of the decision in order to inform aspects of their practice when working with childfree women, alongside infertile women and those contemplating the motherhood decision. Five broad themes were discovered from six papers eliciting that the childfree decision is multifaceted and individual. The findings are discussed in relation to clinical implications and potential future research.Part two is an empirical study that explores the experience of the motherhood decision in women diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. Eleven women were interviewed, and data was analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). Though the study involved both women who had children and women who did not have children following diagnosis, several themes occurred across interviews with participants. Key implications for the aid of the decision making process within health care services are discussed.Part three consists of appendices supporting both the meta-synthesis and the empirical study. It also includes a reflective statement detailing the process of the research from beginning to end
Resilience in people with dementia and their caregivers
Full text linkThis portfolio thesis consists of three parts: a systematic literature review, an empirical paper and appendices relating to both research projects.The first section is a systematic literature review which aimed to synthesise research into resilience in relation to people living with dementia, caregivers and dementia dyads to understand the factors which maintain resilience and the extent to which a dyadic perspective is taken. Ten papers met the inclusion criteria and were synthesised using narrative synthesis, with findings categorised into individual, community and social resources. The findings suggest that people living with dementia and their caregivers utilise resources in order to maintain their resilience; however, research has failed to consider the dyadic perspective. The findings from the review are discussed in relation to the wider context of literature, with implications for future research discussed.The empirical research aimed to develop a theory and understanding of shared resilience between people with dementia and their spouses. The research aimed to develop a definition of resilience, understand what helps couples to develop and maintain their resilience, as well as consider the impact that resilience has on their relationship and well-being. The research used a qualitative Constructivist Grounded Theory approach interviewing 12 couples. Findings indicate that resilience was understood as continuing with a ‘normal’ life and that a couple’s relationship and shared sense of resilience was essential to continue with a ‘normal’ life. The findings from the review are discussed in relation to the wider context of literature, with implications for future research discussed. The importance of dyadic research within dementia is emphasised and the significance of the relationship in living well
The role, impact and experience of humour in later life and dementia
Full text linkThe portfolio thesis is divided into three parts:Part one is a systematic literature review in which the empirical literature relating to humour interventions in later life is reviewed. The systematic literature review explores the key features of humour interventions and their impact on physical and psychological wellbeing in later life. The findings are discussed in relation to clinical implications and potential future research.Part two is an empirical paper, which explores how people living with dementia and their partners use, experience and draw meaning from humour in their ongoing relationships. Interviews were conducted with 10 couples and the data was analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. Analysis revealed eight subthemes that were subsumed under three superordinate themes. Theoretical and clinical implications are discussed with relation to couplehood and wellbeing in dementia.Part three comprises the appendices
An exploration of the motherhood decision
Full text linkThe portfolio thesis is separated into three parts: a meta-synthesis of qualitative research, an empirical study and appendices.Part one is a meta-synthesis reviewing the published qualitative literature regarding the decision to remain childfree in women. The aim of the synthesis was to provide healthcare professionals with an in depth insight into the influences and consequences of the decision in order to inform aspects of their practice when working with childfree women, alongside infertile women and those contemplating the motherhood decision. Five broad themes were discovered from six papers eliciting that the childfree decision is multifaceted and individual. The findings are discussed in relation to clinical implications and potential future research.Part two is an empirical study that explores the experience of the motherhood decision in women diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. Eleven women were interviewed, and data was analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). Though the study involved both women who had children and women who did not have children following diagnosis, several themes occurred across interviews with participants. Key implications for the aid of the decision making process within health care services are discussed.Part three consists of appendices supporting both the meta-synthesis and the empirical study. It also includes a reflective statement detailing the process of the research from beginning to end
An exploration of illness representations in older age
Full text linkThe portfolio thesis is divided into three parts:Part one is a systematic literature review exploring the literature in relation to illness representations and older people living with health conditions. A systematic search of three databases identified ten studies in the area. The findings of the studies are analysed using a qualitative method to identify what has been examined in the literature to date. Three themes were extracted from this method: ‘associations between the constructs of the common sense model of illness representations’, ‘coping and health outcomes’ and ‘variables associated with illness representations’. The findings are discussed in relation to research in chronic illness management, clinical implications and directions for future research.Part two is an empirical paper that explores the experience of epilepsy in older age. The study employs an interpretative phenomenological analysis. The illness representation model is used as a framework (Leventhal, Nerenz, & Steele, 1984) for conducting semi-structured interviews. Ten older people with a diagnosis of epilepsy took part in the study. Three super-ordinate and eight subordinate themes emerged from the data. These themes are discussed in relation to clinical implications and the wider literature of epilepsy, health and ageing.Part three consists of the appendices supporting the systematic literature review and the empirical paper. It also includes a reflective statement of the research process
Responses to dementia : a qualitative exploration of self and others
Full text linkThis portfolio thesis contains three parts: a systematic literature review, an empirical paper, and a set of appendices.Person-centred and social constructionist approaches to dementia have proposed that the experience of living with the condition is influenced by the responses of others towards the individual, and the personal response of the individual to dementia.Part one is a systematic literature review that therefore critically evaluates and synthesizes the qualitative literature pertaining to the way in which people with dementia experience the responses of others towards them. The review aims to further our understanding of how people with dementia perceive the responses of others and the impact that these have upon them. This is deemed to be an important area to address given that theoretical understandings of dementia assign a critical role to the responses of others in influencing an individual’s experience of dementia, and yet this aspect of subjective experience has been overlooked in previous reviews. Following a systematic search of the literature, 23 studies were suitable for review based on the inclusion criteria. A critical interpretative synthesis was conducted, leading to the development of four main themes to capture findings across the reviewed literature: ‘Social outcasting – being treated as an other’; ‘Social relegation – being treated as lesser’; ‘The impact of others’ responses’; and ‘Strategies to manage the responses of others’. These themes and the subthemes within them are compared and contrasted to the themes developed by researchers in their original findings, paying attention to the discourses that may have been influencing their interpretation. The strength of the evidence is evaluated, and implications for clinical research and practice discussed.Part two is an empirical paper investigating people’s personal responses to dementia, focusing upon subjective experiences of growth in older people living with dementia. A qualitative methodology was utilised, using semi-structured interviews to investigate participants’ experiences of positive and/or meaningful changes since living with dementia. Interviews were conducted with nine older people diagnosed with dementia living in the community. Interpretative phenomenological analysis was used to explore participants’ subjective experiences and how they had made sense of these. From this, a theme of ‘Moving Forward’ was developed, containing five subthemes. A second theme of ‘Living in the Now’ was also developed, containing two further subthemes. The findings are discussed with consideration of the discourses we use to talk about dementia, and the implications of a growth discourse to clinical research and practice.Part three consists of a set of appendices for both systematic literature review and empirical paper, including a reflective account of the research process and a statement of epistemology
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Understanding positive experiences of professional caregivers who support people living with dementia
Full text linkThis portfolio thesis is divided into three parts; a systematic literature review, an empirical paper, and a set of appendices. The thesis as a whole seeks to understand positive experiences of professional caregivers, in order to provide a more holistic understanding of caregiving in residential dementia care settings.Part one is a systematic literature review which explores and reviews the literature relating to positive and negative aspects of caregiving experienced by professional caregivers in residential dementia care settings. Factors associated with positive and negative experiences of caregiving are also examined. Fourteen papers were identified and reviewed using a narrative synthesis approach; three themes and six subthemes were identified. The findings are considered and discussed in the context of previous literature relating to caregiving in addition to clinical and research implications.Part two is an empirical paper exploring hope in professional caregivers in residential dementia care settings. The investigation includes the experience of hope, facilitators/barriers of hope and the role of hope in caregiving. Using a constructivist Grounded Theory approach a focus group consisting of six participants was conducted, and purposive theoretical sampling was used to conduct nine individual interviews. Data were analysed using constructivist Grounded Theory and nine categories emerged which were organised into three theoretical concepts. The emergent theory is discussed in the context of previous literature relating to hope and caregiving in addition to clinical and research implications.Part three is a set of appendices for both the systematic literature review and empirical paper, and includes an epistemological statement and reflective statement
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