‘I had a lump in my stomach’: Swedish gay and lesbian students' experiences of their time in school

Objectives: Gay and lesbian youth can experience ignorance and a lack of acknowledgement surrounding their sexual orientation during their time in school. This qualitative interview study describes how Swedish gay and lesbian students experience their secondary school years on the basis that society has heteronormative values. Methods: The data is based on eight telephone interviews with gay and lesbian young adults, aged 18–25 and was analysed using a qualitative narrative approach. Findings: The findings presented four themes: not fitting into the norm of heterosexuality, lacking confirmation of their own homosexuality, finding courage, seeing the school as a supportive or a non-supportive environment. Conclusions: A way to normalise homosexuality can be to discuss sexual development and attraction from a health-promoting perspective. Professionals working in school need to feel comfortable with issues such as sexuality in order to create a situation of confidence for the student

Living an Everyday Life Through a Child's Cancer Trajectory: Families' Lived Experiences 7 Years After Diagnosis

The aim of this study was to illuminate the lived experiences of families where a child had survived 7 years from a diagnosis of childhood cancer. This article describes one part of an inductive and longitudinal research project that included 17 families. Four families whose child was diagnosed with cancer 7 years previously were interviewed using a hermeneutical phenomenological approach. The families lived experience was described in one essential theme, Living an everyday life through the child's cancer trajectory, further illuminated in 3 related themes: Leaving the disease behind yet feeling its presence, Being the same yet always different, and Feeling stronger yet vulnerable. The results suggest that family members feel vulnerable even if a long period of time has passed since completion of treatment. To varied degrees they still may need support. When moving forward in life, the family members are helped if they can reconcile their memories and experiences derived from the childhood cancer trajectory

Like being covered in a wet and dark blanket – Parents' lived experiences of losing a child to cancer

Purpose The aim of this study was to illuminate parents' lived experiences of losing a child to cancer. Method Interviews and a narrative about parents' experiences of losing a child to cancer were gathered from six parents of children whom had participated in a longitudinal study across the child's illness trajectory. The analysis of the data was inspired by van Manen's hermeneutic phenomenological approach. Results One essential theme emerged: Like being covered in a wet and dark blanket, as well as six related themes: Feeling conflicting emotions, Preparing for the moment of death, Continuing parenting after death, Recollecting and sharing memories, Working through the sorrow and New perspectives in life. Conclusion There is a need for good palliative care. If not, there is a risk that the parent will perseverate and blame themselves for not being a good parent during the suffering child's last time in life. Meetings with the parents six months and two years after the child's death might facilitate healing through the grief process

We are also interested in how fathers feel : a qualitative exploration of child health center nurses' recognition of postnatal depression in fathers

BACKGROUND: To become a parent is an emotionally life-changing experience. Paternal depression during the postnatal period has been associated with emotional and behavioral problems in children. The condition has predominantly been related to mothers, and the recognition of paternal postnatal depression (PND) has been paid less attention to. PND in fathers may be difficult to detect. However, nurses in pediatric services meet a lot of fathers and are in a position to detect a father who is suffering from PND. Therefore, the aim of this study was (a) to explore Child Health Center nurses' experiences of observing depression in fathers during the postnatal period; and (b) to explore hindrances of observing these fathers. METHODS: A qualitative descriptive study was conducted. Ten nurses were interviewed in 2014. A thematic data analysis was performed and data were analyzed for meaning. RESULTS: Paternal PND was experienced as being vague and difficult to detect. Experiences of fathers with such problems were limited, and it was hard to grasp the health status of the fathers, something which was further complicated when routines were lacking or when gender attitudes influenced the daily work of the nurses. CONCLUSION: This study contributes to an increased awareness of hindrances to the recognition of PND in fathers. The importance to detect all signals of paternal health status in fathers suffering from PND needs to be acknowledged. Overall, more attention needs to be paid to PND in fathers where a part of the solution for this is that they are screened just like the mothers

Death and caring for dying patients : exploring first-year nursing students' descriptive experiences

Aim: To describe first-year nursing student`s expereinces of witnessing death and providing end-of-life care. Methods: This study is a part of a larger longitudial prject. Interviews (n=17) were conducted with nursing students at the end of their fisrt year of education. To analyse the interviews (lived-expereince description), a thematic analysis, "a search for meaning" (Van Manen, 1997) was applied. Result: The results are presented within the framework of four separate themes: (1) The thought of death is more frightening than the actual epereince, (2) Daring to approach the dying patient and offering something of oneself, (3) The expereince of not sufficing in the face of death and (4) being confronted with one`s own feelings. Conclusion: Nursing students require continous support and opportunity to reflect and discuss their experiences about caring for dying patients and confronting death throughout the entirety of their education. In addition, teachers and clinical superviosors need t give support using reflective practice to help students to devlo confidence in their capacity for caring dying patients.Sjuksköterskestudenters erfarenheter av och attityder till att vårda döende personer som grund för utveckling av undervisning i pallaitiv vår