title: Vita tua, mors mea: The experience of family caregivers of patients in a vegetative state.
abstract: This study aims to understand whether, and possibly how, caregivers of patients in a vegetative state experience an emotional paradox between life and death. Individual semi-structured interviews were conducted with 24 (19 females and 5 males) caregivers of vegetative state patients living in northern Italy. Data were analysed using interpretative phenomenological analysis. Caregivers felt they were the only ones able to understand and give answer to patients' needs, but neglected their own lives in their total commitment to the patient. The findings highlight the importance for vegetative state caregivers in considering new possibilities of life that go beyond the assistance of vegetative state patients.
authors.affiliation: Università degli Studi di Padova, Italy sabrina.cipolletta@unipd.it.
authors.forename: Sabrina
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Cipolletta
authors.affiliation: Università degli Studi di Padova, Italy.
authors.forename: Margherita
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pasi
authors.affiliation: Sacro Cuore Don Calabria Hospital, Italy.
authors.forename: Renato
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Avesani
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D017028:Caregivers / Q000523:psychology*; D004644:Emotions; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D007558:Italy; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018458:Persistent Vegetative State; D036301:Qualitative Research
keywords: caregivers; family; health psychology; qualitative methods; vegetative state