title: To understand and alleviate suffering in a caring culture.
abstract: The purpose of this study is to help understand what suffering is, i.e. how patients and nurses describe suffering, and how suffering can be alleviated. The study has a descriptive-explorative design and its approach is phenomenological-hermeneutical. The informant (research group) are 11 nurses (nurses, doctors, hospital theologians) and five patients in a social-psychiatric nursing unit, based on Christian ideology. The results of the study show that the 'what' of suffering is unclear. The nurses tend to describe more the 'why' of suffering, i.e. the reason for suffering. The what of suffering is pain, fear, despair, lack of strength. It is a form of lack of freedom and non-motion. It is a struggle between wanting and knowing, between guilt and responsibility. The form of suffering tends to mould the caring relation. To be touched in some way by another in a meeting can alleviate the deepest suffering. Compassion will always alleviate suffering.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Social and Caring Sciences, University of Abo Akademi, Vasa, Finland.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Lindholm
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Eriksson
mesh_terms: D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D001294:Attitude to Health; D002835:Christianity; D004645:Empathy; D005387:Finland; D006757:Hospital Units / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006801:Humans; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000150:complications*; D016294:Models, Nursing; D009723:Nurse-Patient Relations; D009730:Nursing Assessment; D015404:Nursing Methodology Research; D009741:Nursing Staff, Hospital / Q000523:psychology; D015279:Organizational Culture; D010146:Pain / Q000150:complications / Q000451:nursing* / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000523:psychology; D011568:Psychiatric Nursing; D011788:Quality of Life; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000150:complications / Q000451:nursing* / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000523:psychology