Citation

Talseth AG, Gilje F, Norberg A. Arch. Psychiatr. Nurs. 2001; 15(6): 249-256.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2001, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1053/apnu.2001.28687

PMID

11735075

Abstract

Fifteen Norwegian relatives narrated their experiences of "being met" by mental health care personnel regarding the care of their adult family member who had seriously thought about or attempted suicide. The narrative interviews were audiotaped, transcribed into text, and then interpreted using a phenomenological hermeneutic method. The results of the interpretation revealed that the context of being met was characterized by "being helpless and powerless." The six themes that were constructed describing being met were: Being-seen as a human being; participating in an I-Thou relationship; trusting personnel, treatment, and care; feeling trusted by personnel; being consoled; and entering into hope. The experience of being met in the midst of the care of a relative in crisis created possibilities for hope. Being met, in this context, is a passageway to hope.

Language: en

Keywords

Adaptation, Psychological; Adult; Empathy; Family; Female; Grief; Helplessness, Learned; Humans; Male; Morale; Norway; Nursing Methodology Research; Personnel, Hospital; Power, Psychological; Professional-Family Relations; Psychiatric Nursing; Risk Factors; Social Support; Suicide, Attempted; Surveys and Questionnaires