“Living Between Two Different Worlds”: Experiences of Leaving a High‑Cost Religious Group

The aim of this interdisciplinary study is to gain a comprehensive understanding of individuals’ subjective experiences after leaving a high-cost religious group and how these experiences have affected their lives. In-depth interviews were done with 18 participants who had left different religious communities in Finland. The interviews were analysed through a thematic analysis. The results show that religious disaffiliation is a life change that may affect an individual’s life in profound ways. Life after being a member of a high-cost group may involve experiences of fear, guilt, sorrow, pain, loss and even suffering on an existential level. These experiences can have serious implications for one’s well-being and health. However, life after religious disaffiliation also includes many positive aspects, such as experiences of joy, freedom, relief, gratitude and empowerment.publishedVersio

A caring science study about the understanding of life and creative writing

Creative writing is a known valuable aid for reflection on one’s life and involves the human being in a holistic way. This article has a caring science perspective and focuses on the understanding of life when creative writing is used to tackle unforeseen change. The unsolicited narratives of three authors were analysed in a study. The included texts were published autobiographical works and creative writing guides. A thematic network analysis was used as a method of analysis. The analysis ended up in a global theme that shows the understanding of life as a humble stance towards its changefulness. This theme entails acknowledging the uncertainty in life, seizing of opportunities and transformation through suffering. Creative writing is found to aid the human being to handle the changefulness of life.publishedVersio

Caring as temporal turns in life through creative writing

Aim: A person’s experience of time in life is assumed to change through suffering. This assumption developed an interest in investigating the connection between creative writing and caring, as caring may ease suffering and promote health as wholeness. The study aims to deepen the understanding of how creative writing may facilitate caring by investigating the time experience included in creative writing and its significance in relation to caring. Method: Seven hobby writers were asked to describe the meaning of creative writing in their lives. These accounts were analysed hermeneutically to gain an in-depth understanding through a dialogic process. Findings: The result show six themes: Acknowledging a childhood’s powerlessness, dealing with losses in life, capturing memories and revisiting them, building a new relationship to one’s past, living in the here and now, and being in between the past and the future. Findings suggest that caring may be viewed as temporal turns in life through creative writing, thus promoting experiences of wholeness in connection to time in life. Value: This study shows that creative writing can provide caring experiences through both the freedom of movement of the mind and by enabling a foothold in life’s temporality.publishedVersio

Suffering of Life after Religious Disaffiliation: A Caring Science Study

Background and aim: There are many circumstances where an individual, either voluntarily or involuntarily, may leave part of their life behind. Religious disaffiliation, the focus in this study, has become increasingly common and may under certain circumstances have a profound impact on a human being’s life, health and wellbeing. The aim of this caring science study was to gain a deeper understanding of the suffering that human beings may endure after religious disaffiliation. Participants and methods: In-depth interviews were conducted with 18 participants who had left various religious communities in Finland. The data material was analyzed through a qualitative thematic analysis according to Clarke and Braun. Results and conclusion: The results show that life after religious disaffiliation entails different forms of suffering of life. Suffering of life was expressed as: Pain and sorrow over being rejected, Overwhelmed by guilt and shame, Living in constant fear of both life and death and Humiliated as a human being. Eriksson’s concept suffering of life is relevant and valuable in understanding the results of this study. Ultimately, suffering of life refers to the violation of a human being’s dignity. Further research is needed on what constitutes caring and how suffering can be alleviated in this context.publishedVersio

Multi-professional ethical competence in healthcare – an ethical practice model

Introduction The starting point is that ethical competence is the basis for ethical healthcare practices and quality of care. Simultaneously, there is a need for research and development from a holistic multi-professional perspective. Aim The aim is to create a proposed model for multi-professional ethical competence grounded in clarified meanings and dimensions of ethical competence studied from a multi-professional healthcare perspective. The research questions are, what is ethical competence from a multi-professional healthcare perspective and what strengthens a multi-professional ethical healthcare practice? Research design The research has a qualitative approach and hermeneutic application research design. Two groups with six participants from clinical practice and two scientific researchers in each group met four times for dialogue. Thematic analysis was used as an analysis method. Ethical considerations The research is approved by the Declaration of Helsinki, the General Data Protection Regulations, and ethical permission was asked from the Norwegian Centre for Research Data (NSD). Results The proposed model for multi-professional ethical competence encompasses a three-dimensional ethical value base that is underpinned by: Ethical attitude – a personal desire to do good; Ethical basis – the best for the patient as a common goal and Ethical culture – common goals and values in the organization. Multi-professional ethical competence is strengthened by: Reflection – to see with new wondering eyes; Time for talk – interdisciplinary teamwork and Leadership – an ethical role model and support. Discussion Ethical competence has a strong link to the core of caring ethics and a deeper personal value base and attitude. Ethical competence involves the whole culture and is seen as a shared value base and a responsibility to do the best for the patient as a multi-professional team and organization. Ethical competence becomes active in healthcare practice by opening up for meaningful multi-professional talks and reflections.publishedVersio

Making Food Decisions Together : Physiological and Affective Underpinnings of Relinquishing Preferences and Reaching Decisions

We used a novel interdisciplinary experimental paradigm where two types of dyads-15 dyads with one depressed and one non-depressed participant and 15 dyads with two non-depressed participants-engaged in a series of food-decision-making tasks. We examined how different communicative events during the decision-making process were reflected in the affective responses of the interacting participants, as indicated in their skin conductance (SC) response rates. The participants' SC response rates were found to be higher during the emergence of the final decision, compared to the other segments during the process. Furthermore, relinquishing one's initially expressed preferences was associated with SC response rates higher than the baseline. However, during the relinquishment segments, there was a negative interaction between depression diagnosis and SC response rates, which suggests that, compared to their non-depressed comparisons, it is affectively less arousing for the participants with depression to give up their previously expressed preferences.Peer reviewe

Nurse managers’ perceptions of the competence of newly graduated nurses: A scoping review

AimTo summarise nurse managers’ perceptions of newly graduated nurses’ (NGNs) competence and connected factors.BackgroundNurse managers recruiting staff are responsible for employing competent nurses to ensure quality care and professional standards. Knowledge of managers’ perceptions about the competence of NGNs is needed to understand the expectations of the health care system towards future professionals.EvaluationA scoping review was conducted. A total of 12 research publications met the inclusion criteria and were analysed using inductive content analysis.Key issuesManagers’ perceptions can be divided into three perspectives: NGNs’ competence descriptions, assessment of competences, and connected factors. The NGNs’ level of competence was assessed to be at least satisfactory, and dependent on prior exposure to the work setting, change in the degree of responsibility, and lack of confidence.ConclusionExisting knowledge about nurse managers’ perceptions of NGNs’ competence is limited and rather fragmented. There is a clear need for rigorous empirical studies with comprehensive views of managers, emphasising the key role of managers in the evaluation of nurse competence.</p

Drama -Creative Play with Health-Giving Power

Abstract Background: Drama has primarily been employed in education for the purpose of teaching nurse students in a creative way to understand thoughts and emotions so that they may grow as caregivers. Through drama an inner conception of oneself, of one&apos;s inner strength and health, can be released. Aim: The aim of this study is to describe drama as creative play within caring and its health-giving power. Material and method: The research was conducted through a drama group and interviews. Eleven women diagnosed with breast cancer participated as informants. The drama group met for a period of nine months, and drama was created from life stories, relaxation and imaginary journeys, the painting of inner pictures and the drawing of life paths. The main methodology used is hermeneutics and therefore the data material was interpreted hermeneutically on structural, rational and existential levels. Results: Drama as creative play is a restful balance between active actions and inner rest. Drama releases a joy of living, opens up new ways of viewing oneself and others and the discovery of a new life course. Drama may not transform life itself but one&apos;s perspective of life. Drama may release what is important in life and new values in life which in itself brings health. Discussion: Drama as creative play requires courage because thoughts and emotions that have often been repressed are brought to the surface and may alter one&apos;s conceptions about illness, about one&apos;s identity as a human being and about one&apos;s own life. Drama sets in motion a movement toward an inner establishment of values that are important in life and the strength to act in accordance with one&apos;s own life course. Drama as creative play within caring can give patients strength to create order in life and provide space for inner healing and health

Møtet – å se og bli berørt av pasienten: En grunn for etisk kompetanse hos helsepersonell

The purpose of this caring science study is to deepen the understanding of health personnel’s experiences of challenges and the fundamental basis for maintaining ethical competence in clinical practice. The study has a qualitative design. The methodology is hermeneutic application research. Twelve participants from several professions were divided into two groups for dialogue and reflection about ethical competence. Systematic text condensation was used as an analysis method.   The analysis resulted in four themes, ethics are challenged in complex clinical situations, to create space for reflection, to see the human being, and to be touched by the patient. The results confirm that the encounter between health personnel and the patient is significant and that the encounter itself is immanent ethics. Health personnel work with a tension between a system characterized by busyness and chores and seeing the patient as a human being and being overwhelmed by his or her suffering. In this field of tension, health personnel can be in the movement of becoming and reflecting on what promotes and maintains ethical competence.I denne omsorgsvitenskaplige studien søker vi en dypere forståelse av helsepersonells erfaringer av utfordringer og grunnlag for å opprettholde etisk kompetanse i klinisk praksis. Studien har et kvalitativ design. Metodologien er hermeneutisk applikasjonsforskning. Tolv deltakere fra ulike profesjoner, fordelt på to grupper, deltok i dialoger om etisk kompetanse. Systematisk tekstkondensering er brukt som metode for å analysere dataene. Funnene presenteres i fire temaer: I komplekse kliniske erfaringer blir etikken utfordret, Å skape rom for refleksjon, Å se mennesket og Å bli berørt av pasienten. Resultatet bekrefter at møtet mellom helsepersonell og pasient er betydningsfullt, og at møtet i seg en iboende etikk. Helsepersonell arbeider i en spenning mellom å se mennesket i pasientrollen og å bli overveldet av lidelse i et system preget av travelhet og gjøremål. I dette spenningsfeltet kan helsepersonell være i en danningsprosess, gjennom refleksjon som fremmer og opprettholder etisk kompetanse. Funnene presenteres i fire temaer: I komplekse kliniske erfaringer blir etikken utfordret, Å skape rom for refleksjon, Å se mennesket og Å bli berørt av pasienten. Resultatet bekrefter at møtet mellom helsepersonell og pasient er betydningsfullt, og at møtet i seg en iboende etikk. Helsepersonell arbeider i en spenning mellom å se mennesket i pasientrollen og å bli overveldet av lidelse i et system preget av travelhet og gjøremål. I dette spenningsfeltet kan helsepersonell være i en danningsprosess, gjennom refleksjon som fremmer og opprettholder etisk kompetanse

Social, health and rehabilitation sector educators’ competence in evidence-based practice: A cross-sectional study

Aim The purpose of the study was to identify and describe the characteristic profiles of evidence-based practice competence of educators in the social, health and rehabilitation sectors and to establish relevant background factors. Design This study was carried out as a descriptive cross-sectional study. Methods Data were collected from social, health and rehabilitation sector educators working in the 21 Finnish universities of applied sciences and seven vocational colleges (n = 422; N = 2,330). A self-assessment instrument measuring evidence-based practice competence was used. Competence profiles were formed using a K-cluster grouping analysis. Results Three distinct competence profiles were identified and delineated. Most educators feel that they can guide students' critical thinking and are able to seek and produce scientific knowledge. Evidence-based practice competence was explained by background factors such as year of graduation (for higher degree), level of education, job title, current employer and current field of work.publishedVersio