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Combining ecological resilience theory with a phenomenological epistemology, we explored experiential, social, and cultural factors mediating resilience‐building with participants from a village destroyed by the 2018 Fuego volcanic eruption in Guatemala. The purpose of the study is to find out what strategies displaced families and communities employ for living through the aftermath of a volcano eruption and for building psychological resilience. We conducted semistructured interviews with nine survivors of the Fuego eruption, now relocated and coping with the loss of community and family members killed in the disaster. Interpretive phenomenological analysis was used to analyze transcripts. The analysis produced four main themes: (i) individual and collective challenges, (ii) social support and protection, (iii) faith and culturally endorsed belief, and (iv) looking to the future. As well as learning more about how a community faced challenges presented by a volcano eruption, the current study has a degree of transferability, with implications for understanding how other communities experience and cope with such events. Highlights: Participants lost relationships and communities, and experienced emotional distress after the eruption.Social support from community members and professionals helped survivors face loss and relocation.Participants used faith to answer questions about why the eruption happened and how they responded.Reflecting on the loss, taking advantage of new opportunities, and being future‐focused aided recovery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, antiferroelectric and antiferroelectric‐like materials have regained interest in electronic devices, such as field‐effect transistors, memory, and transducers. Particularly in micro/nano‐electromechanical coupling systems such as actuators, these innovative materials, with their peculiar phase transition between antiferroelectric and ferroelectric phases, show promise in offering large electro‐strain, fast response, and low power consumption devices. However, compared to numerous computational models of ferroelectric actuators, numerical modeling of antiferroelectric and antiferroelectric‐like actuators remains relatively unexplored. In this paper, we propose a phenomenological model of uniaxial antiferroelectric and antiferroelectric‐like actuators based on their switching polarization behavior. Specifically, both the double hysteresis loop of antiferroelectric materials and the pinched hysteresis loop of antiferroelectric‐like materials can be captured by two hyperbolic tangent functions. This allows us to cast a polarization‐dependent strain and piezoelectric tensor into the constitutive laws. The proposed model is then implemented into a finite element framework, in which the voltage‐induced deformation can be solved using the Newton–Raphson procedure. Numerical examples of both antiferroelectric and antiferroelectric‐like actuators are illustrated and compared with experimental data, showing our proposed model can serve as a useful tool for the design and development of antiferroelectric and antiferroelectric‐like actuators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Aims Materials and Methods Results Discussion Conclusion Qualitative/phenomenological research approaches are popular in counselling psychology and psychotherapy post‐graduate training. This article attends to the experience of research supervision in this setting, where there is a need for containment, compassion, clarity and empathy (Counselling and Psychotherapy Research, 2021a, 22, 689).This article aims to bring the philosophical development of qualitative/phenomenological research back into focus. It asks what extra value would be brought to the supervision of trainees through existential awareness and phenomenological exploration. The authors offer ways in which existential awareness can be developed and utilised in research supervision.The results of a small survey into the experiences of students are used to ground our observations in practice.A relational tension is implied, where trust and good communication are essential. An existential anxiety could be prompted, when a trainee's world shifts from being homely, to uncanny and strange. In these experiences of groundlessness, the world no longer provides a sense of certainty about one's possibilities, and one feels estranged and uncomfortably self‐aware. Fostering this awareness can mean that teaching and supervisory relationships are experienced in their intersubjective, free and creative dynamics.Attending to Threshold Concepts can support the transformational nature of professional training, which is often an experience of uncertainty. Likewise, Socratic Questioning and irony contribute to the development of critical thinking, reflexivity and the harnessing of assumptions.Existential awareness will enable the development of more authentic relationships across the therapeutic and educational encounters of training. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: To describe mothers' and fathers' experiences with public health nursing and child and family health centre services in the postnatal period, both as a couple and as individuals. Method: A phenomenological reflective lifeworld research approach with a descriptive design was chosen. A purposive sample of 10 mothers and 10 fathers were interviewed twice, 1–2 and 6–8 weeks postpartum, using joint and individual interviews. By focusing on being open and flexible, the data were analyzed to elucidate a meaningful structure of the phenomenon. Results: The findings revealed that parents' experiences with public health nurse (PHN) and Child and Family Health Centre (CFHC) services in the postnatal period are characterised by a longing to be seen and confirmed both as unique individuals and as a family by the PHN. Although an increased need for both lay and professional care is prominent during the postnatal period, the parents drew a varied picture of their experiences demonstrating that the CFHC services are focussing almost exclusively on mother and child. Conclusion: A public health nurse can contribute to strengthen parenthood and promote the family's health when the focus is on the new baby. Being cared for while learning to care for the baby is pivotal in a phase that involves both joy and vulnerability. This study adds knowledge concerning the importance of both parents being seen and confirmed by the PHN as unique individuals and a family unit in the postnatal period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Our understanding of the meaning of hoarding is still in development. Thematic readings of the literature suggest that hoarding involves a very distinctive way of understanding the world, with the act of acquiring and retaining of material comprising in a form of psychological home or safe space. The connection of the person to their hoard requires further exploration, as does the place that this relationship has with the wider world of society and culture. This study sought to investigate experiences of persons who hoard and their relationship to their hoarded material. A phenomenologically‐oriented qualitative research design was used to investigate 14 participants' experiences of hoarding. Analysis of transcripts was conducted using thematic moment by moment analysis consistent with the phenomenological approach. To give further clarification and elucidation to the meaning of hoarding a psychoanalytically informed analysis of the material was included. Three themes emerged from this process: Firstly, "It's not yours. It's mine"; secondly, "Keeping within the walls"; and thirdly, "Sorting through." The emergent themes reflect the creative and inventive ways participants related to hoarded material. Themes are discussed in relation to relevant psychoanalytical concepts, including Winnicott's Transitional Objects, with difficulties observed in hoarding paralleling difficulties transitioning out into the world of relating, as well as the part that cultural unconscious processes play here. Aspects of Bion's container‐contained function are also discussed. Implications for future research and working clinically with people who hoard are discussed, particularly the handling of hoarded material. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Parents' lived experiences of having a child with ADHD may shape their decision making regarding ADHD treatment options for their child. The aim of this study was to explore parents' experiences of living with a child with ADHD in the family and how their experiences influence their perspectives on treatment preferences and priorities. Methods: A phenomenological qualitative design was used. Semistructured interviews were conducted with parents of children with ADHD who were enrolled in a multisite randomized controlled trial. Interviews were transcribed verbatim, and transcripts at each site were double coded. Initial codes were derived directly from the text. Qualitative data were analysed with an inductive approach. Results: Twenty‐three parents were interviewed: eight from Alberta, Canada; eight from Portland, Oregon, USA; and seven from Columbus, Ohio, USA. Among the parents, 69% were married, 86% completed college education and 52% reported household income over $80,000. Among the children, the mean age was 9.6 years (SD = 1.8 years), 78% were boys and 48% were never medicated for their ADHD. Two major themes emerged from the analysis. Theme 1 was 'impact of ADHD on families within and outside the home' with the following subthemes: 'reconfiguring the home life', 'trial‐and‐error of accommodations at school' and 'responding to social pressures to fit in'. Theme 2 was 'enabling appropriate and accessible treatments for families' with the following subthemes: 'finding the "right fit" with professionals and treatments' and 'factors influencing inequitable access to treatments'. Conclusions: Parents described shared experiences and identified similar barriers, preferences and priorities for ADHD treatments regardless of demographic differences by site. Families desired access to family‐centred, multimodal approaches to ADHD treatment. Further research is needed to identify the specific structural changes to healthcare, services and policies that will better support this approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The number of volunteers in Danish nursing homes is increasing. Volunteers cooperate with professional caregivers to improve the residents' well‐being and quality of life as part of their palliative care. The Danish government encourages this volunteer involvement, which is partly intended to alleviate the resource constraints in municipal healthcare. Although volunteer roles are defined as complementary to the professional caregiver role, volunteer‒professional caregiver cooperation can be challenging. Aim: This article explores the challenges experienced in volunteer‒professional caregiver cooperation in the general palliative care provided in nursing homes. Method: A qualitative design and a sociological phenomenological approach were adopted to answer the research question: What is experienced as challenging in the cooperation between volunteer and professional caregivers in the provision of care for elderly residents in everyday life in a nursing home? And what meanings and understandings are associated with these experiences? Data were collected by combining participant observations and interviews, and thematic analysis structured the analytical process. Findings: The analysis of 115 hours of participant observations in two Danish nursing homes with 50‒60 volunteers involved and 16 interviews (eight with volunteers, eight with professional caregivers) identified two overall themes: 'Symbolic indications of them and us' (two sub‐themes) and 'Meaning and action regarding the residents best interest' (three sub‐themes). Conclusions: An institutional distinction between volunteer versus professional caregiver domains contributed to a sense of 'them and us', which hindered common experiences and raised challenges concerning the mutual understanding of actions. The professional caregivers felt that they lacked the time to engage in social care activities with residents, for which volunteers otherwise had time. The coordinator role was a crucial link in coordinating the daily care activities for residents but marked by a sense of ambivalence among the professional caregivers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We analyzed the lived experiences of frontline nurses and physicians who were affected by COVID‐19 through a phenomenological approach, using Cohen's methodology with interview data. The participants were enrolled in the study in May 2020 during the COVID‐19 pandemic in Italy. The inclusion criteria were (i) being a nurse or physician employed full time caring for COVID‐19 patients before falling ill; (ii) contracting SARS‐CoV‐2 between February 2020 to May 2020; (iii) having recovered before enrollment; and (iv) providing informed consent to participate. Sixteen participants (60% nurses) with an average age of 45 years were included. The following main themes were extrapolated from our data analysis: "fear of diagnosis," "loneliness (as isolation)," "touch of nurses," and "feeling guilty of abandonment." Several aspects emerging from our study highlight the strong emotional impact of COVID on nurses and physicians infected during their activities, such as feelings of fear and loneliness on the one hand, and of impotence and guilt for not being able to help on the other. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using qualitative methodology, the authors explored the experiences of 8 clients who received a 5‐minute mindfulness meditation (MM) as implemented by 6 counseling students during a counseling session. Themes that emerged included (a) variations in individual experiences; (b) mental, physical, and emotional components of the experience; (c) perceptions of MM; (d) preferences for MM; and (e) implications for continued practice of MM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the predominant contemporary and traditional coping strategies adopted in Zimbabwe in the past three decades and beyond, challenges and issues related to inheritance continued to affect the livelihood of both orphans and vulnerable children (OVC) and their caregivers. This article is a qualitative phenomenological study seeking to examine the perceptions, views, and feelings of the OVC and their caregivers on their lived experiences in OVC care and support in Zimbabwe. The study focusses on the caregivers' perspectives of the impact of the inheritance experiences in OVC care and support within their tribal local rural communities. In‐depth narrative interviews were conducted with 30 caregivers, corroborated with 10 OVC purposively sampled in the Gutu District of Zimbabwe. The results showed that although the caregivers are doing their best in executing their strategies for OVC care and support, the manipulation and misappropriation of the inheritances from deceased parents or grandparents that were meant to benefit the OVCs are still widespread in the rural communities of Zimbabwe. In conclusion, the study recommends the need for an integrated stakeholders' approach in educating the local rural communities about their inheritance rights. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The authors conducted a 3‐phase investigation into the credible standards for phenomenological research practices identified in the literature and endorsed by a sample of counselor education qualitative research experts. Utilizing a mixed‐methods approach, the findings offer evidence that professional counseling has a distinctive format in which phenomenological research is produced. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background As most mental health studies of school-aged children with intellectual and developmental disabilities ( IDD) are based on proxy ratings, the subjective views of these young persons are rarely explored. The present study explores experiences of well-being, mental ill-health, family, school, and peer relations in students in special education. Methods Ten students in special education, aged 13-16 years, answered the Wellbeing in Special Education Questionnaire (Well SEQ) and participated in semi-structured interviews. Data were analyzed using a mixed methods phenomenological research approach. Results The general agreement between questionnaire responses and interview accounts appears to be good, and the students emphasized mainly positive emotions and good mental health. Students described their school environment and family relations as inclusive contexts experienced as both protective and restrictive. Conclusion Using well-adapted research instruments enables students with IDD to communicate subjective experiences of well-being and how it relates to aspects of their everyday environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Promoting racial and ethnic minority students' interest in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) careers remains a primary workforce goal. To advance this goal, this study examined, through an ecological lens, 18 African American high school seniors' perceptions of their experiences related to their aspirations for STEM careers. All students were enrolled in STEM programs. Using a phenomenological approach to analyze the outcomes of focus group interviews, the authors identified themes at the ontogenic, microsystem, and macrosystem levels. Environmental factors, such as counseling, family expectations, and available resources, played a substantial role in influencing the students' interests, experiences, and perceptions in their pursuits of STEM careers. Implications highlight the importance of counselors in encouraging students of diverse backgrounds to pursue STEM courses and for policy makers to provide resources that support students' STEM goals. Future research is needed to examine the longitudinal effects of high school STEM programs on diverse populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is a form of biotechnological surgery which has had considerable success for the motor improvement of Parkinson's disease and related disorders. Paradoxically, this observed motor improvement is not matched with improved psychosocial adjustment. This study contributes to a small but growing body of research aiming to understand this paradox. We conclude by discussing these aspects from a phenomenological and health psychology understanding of decision-making, human affectivity, and embodiment.Design: A hermeneutic phenomenological case study.Methods: Semi-structured interviews with one woman with Parkinson's disease were carried out paying particular attention to (1) how the decision to have the procedure was made and (2) the affective experience in the time periods immediately prior to the procedure, shortly after and 1 month later.Results: The thematic structure derived from the hermeneutic phenomenological analysis comprises the following experiential aspects: Making the decision: 'I was feeling rather at a dead end with my Parkinson's'; Shifting emotions and feelings: 'Terrified, excited, disappointed, overjoyed'; Embodied meaning: 'This extraordinary procedure where they were going to drill holes in my head'.Conclusions: This research has elucidated the complexity of decision-making, the emotional landscape, and specific bodily nature of the experience of DBS. It has suggested implications for practice informed by both existential-phenomenological theory and health psychology. Statement of contribution What is already known on this subject? Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is a newly developed form of biotechnological surgery and research indicates a mismatch between motor success and psychosocial adjustment. Most studies focuses on life post-DBS and there is relatively little research on how people make the decision to have the procedure, what their experience is of undergoing it including its emotional aspects. What does this study add? This study demonstrates that making decisions with respect to health and illness is complex and best understood as a form of embodied cognition. Findings indicate that the experience of undergoing DBS surgery is one of multiple emotions, especially fear and feelings of 'unhomelikeness'. This study highlights the relevance of a lifeworld, people-centered and humanizing approach to helping health care professionals support people through an illness/treatment trajectory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A phenomenological approach was employed in order to record and present the lived experiences of three students during a five-hour art-making activity. Theoretical definitions of cognitive processes pertinent to art and design were compared with the descriptions gathered from the students. The research was intended to portray as accurately as possible individuals' experiences in order to ascertain whether there is a possibility for soundly ascribing cognitive functions to art-making processes. The descriptions of students' thought processes reveal the ways with which the selected students approach learning and also offer insights into the possible links between cognition and artmaking. The findings of the study suggest that intuitive and perceptive processes are utilised by the chosen participants in a variety of ways. The consideration of the ordering of visual elements is a process that all participants describe within their art making. The students' visual judgements appear to be a direct response to the art-work being made. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Scand J Caring Sci; 2010; 24; 693-699 The aim of this study was to describe how haemodialysis (HD) patients, between 30 and 45 years of age, experience their dependence on HD treatment. Nine patients undergoing HD treatment were interviewed. The transcribed texts were analysed according to Giorgi′s four basic principles. Being between 30 and 45 years of age and needing HD treatment meant experiencing a total lack of freedom, which was illuminated through the sub-themes: a sense of fear, dependency on caregivers, time lost in dialysis, feelings of loneliness and the stress of being on the waiting list for a new kidney. The participants felt that being dependent on HD treatment was 'not a real life' and that they were experiencing a double life of sorts: the life of dialysis versus their ordinary life outside treatment. The dependency on HD treatment was also expressed as a feeling that life 'stood still.' The results also indicate that the participants expected to encounter competent healthcare professionals, and they emphasised the importance of providing support for younger HD patients by focusing on their ability to cope with their life situation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Studies have examined the quantitative causal factors of postpartum depression. However, the lived experience of postpartum depression has not been investigated. Using a psychophenomenological design, the investigators examined reports from seven clients with a psychiatric diagnosis of postpartum depression and the role life experiences played in their labor, delivery, and postpartum periods. Phenomenological analysis indicated that the psychological and physiological effects of abuse interact to create a cognitive frame of reference similar to the experience of abuse. The normal developmental event of childbearing contributes to the recall of abuse and sets the stage for postpartum depression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fourteen Norwegian, three Danish, and two Swedish physicians employed at a Norwegian psychiatric hospital narrated their lived experiences in caring for suicidal psychiatric inpatients. The interview text was transcribed and interpreted using a phenomenological-hermeneutics method, inspired by Ricoeur's philosophy. Two main themes were found: Power Over, i.e. Communicating with the patients; Not accepting one's own mortality; Not accepting one's own vulnerability; Not accepting one's own fallibility; Being rejected by the patients; and Power To, Deep communicating with the patients; Accepting one's own mortality; Accepting one's own vulnerability; Accepting one's own fallibility; Being trusted by the patients. These findings were pondered in the light of Cissna's and Sieburg's writings about confirming. The study emphasizes the importance to physicians of confronting their own strong and frightening feelings about mortality, vulnerability and fallibility in order to confirm suicidal psychiatric patients during interactions with them, when in hospital after suicide thoughts and attempts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]