Finding the way forward : the lived experience of people with stroke after participation in a complex psychosocial intervention

• Published in: Qualitative Health Research
• Main Authors: Kitzmüller, Gabriele, Mangset, Margrete, Evju, Anne Svelstad, Angel, Sanne, Aadal, Lena, Martinsen, Randi, Bronken, Berit Arnesveen, Kvigne, Kari Johanne, Bragstad, Line Kildal, Hjelle, Ellen Gabrielsen, Sveen, Unni, Kirkevold, Marit
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: SAGE Publications 2019
• Subjects: Antonovsky; Aaron; Guided self determinations; Interventions; Lived experiences; Norway; Phenomenological hermeneutics; Arctic; Narvik; Arctic University of Norway; UiT The Arctic University of Norway
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/10642/7934; https://doi.org/10.1177/1049732319833366

Stroke patients’ well-being is threatened after stroke. A psychosocial intervention was developed for Norwegian stroke patients living in the community. Eight individual sessions between people with stroke and a trained health care professional were conducted 1 to 6 months post-stroke with one group of participants and 6 to 12 months post-stroke with another group. Subsequently, 19 of these stroke patients were interviewed to gain an in-depth understanding of their lived experience of the influence of the intervention on their adjustment process. Interview texts were analyzed using Ricoeur’s interpretation theory. Two participants did not personally find the intervention useful. The remaining participants greatly appreciated dialogues with the empathetic intervention personnel, feeling free to discuss their fears and worries. The intervention raised these participants’ awareness of their needs and resources. They were guided to resume their everyday life and adopt a future-oriented attitude. The intervention facilitated their meaning-making endeavors and post-stroke adjustment. The study was part of a larger project that was supported by a grant from the South-Eastern Norway Regional Health Authority and a grant from the Extra Foundation. The research leading to these results has received additional funding from the European Union Seventh Framework Programme (FP7-PEOPLE-2013-COFUND) under grant agreement no. 609020 - Scientia Fellows. The University of Oslo, Oslo University Hospital, the Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences, and the Arctic University of Norway, Narvik have provided research time, administrative and organizational support and additional funding for the study. UiT The Arctic University of Norway funded the intervention for the participants from the Northern area. acceptedVersion