Continuity and discontinuity: the quality of life following stroke.
The purpose of this existential-phenomenological study was to investigate the experience of life after stroke rehabilitation, to provide a holistic view for nurses and others in providing care. Analysis involved a part-to-whole dialectic; selected transcripts, including the bracketing interview, were analyzed in an interpretive research group. There were 14 participants, with a 2-year median length of time since stroke; participants exhibited various disabilities. The world of the stroke survivor is grounded in a life of loss and effort from which emerged interrelated themes: independence/dependence, in control/out of control, and connection/disconnection with others. A fundamental aspect of these themes is a sense of continuity that coexists with discontinuity in the experience of self. The findings have implications for how nurses interact with stroke survivors, for goal-setting, and for specific strategies that focus on meanings for clients.
Secrest
J A
JA
University of Tennessee at Chattanooga 37403-2598, USA. Janet-Secrest@utc.edu
Thomas
S P
SP
D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007389:Internal-External Control; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008960:Models, Psychological; D015404:Nursing Methodology Research; D011788:Quality of Life; D012649:Self Concept; D020521:Stroke / Q000451:nursing / Q000523:psychology*; D000071939:Stroke Rehabilitation; D017741:Survivors / Q000523:psychology