Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

“I Done Been Through Hell”: An Existential Phenomenological Study Of The Lived Experience Of Fathers Who Have Lost A Child, Dynisha Wigginson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The rise in American pediatric death led to a shift in pediatric end-of-life care from focusing care only on the dying pediatric patient to include focus on the family. Most literature has focused only on mothers’ experiences or the combined experiences of mothers and fathers. Fathers’ experiences at their child’s end of life, as an individual phenomenon, is overlooked and ignored. Hence, significant knowledge gaps exist related to the repeated exclusion of fathers’ individual experiences. This study aimed to begin to fill this gap. Using the lens of Merleau-Ponty, this existential phenomenological study aimed to describe the lived experiences of …

The Lived Experience Of Obesity, Spirituality, And Health Behaviors In African American Women, Andrea S. Poynter

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Obesity is one of the fastest-growing health concerns impacting all racial, ethnic, gender, and socioeconomic groups in the United States of America. More than one-third of the U.S. adult population is classified as being obese (Obesity Society, 2014). Novak and Brownell (2012) identified that “obesity rates are consistently rising higher each year than in previous years” (p. 2345). Obesity has reached epidemic proportions in all races and genders within the US with African American women comprising a majority of those impacted by this chronic health condition. Obesity rates are well documented within the literature but what is lacking is the …

Contemporary Nursing In Rural Appalachia: A Hermeneutic Study, Evelyn Brewer

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Nurses make up a significant source of direct care for individuals, families, and communities. The problematic distribution of nurses and the potential to lose practicing nurses emphasizes the importance of retention and support of nursing professionals, especially in rural locations. One of the best ways to discover what is important to nurses is to ask and listen to the replies.

The focus for this dissertation is the lived experience of registered nurses in a six-county area in three adjoining states in rural South Central Appalachia. The purpose of this study is to interpret and understand the lived experience of contemporary …

A Hermeneutic Phenomenological Study Of The Lived Experience Of Adult Female Sexual Assault Survivors, Ann N. Hellman

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Sexual assault is an international problem affecting hundreds of thousands of women each year. Significant psychological, physical, and financial consequences result from sexual assault. The prevalence of sexual assault suggests that nurses frequently encounter survivors yet minimal literature exists focusing on how nurses should adjust their care to meet the needs of this population.

The phenomenon of sexual assault has been widely studied from multiple perspectives and across disciplines. Likewise, studies of spiritual and religious beliefs and practices and their impact at the end-of-life and in disease, grief, and loss are extensive in nursing literature. However, a nominal number of …

The Lived Experience Of Mothers Bereaved By The Suicide Death Of A Child., Cynthia Walker Lynn

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Suicide has existed throughout recorded history. It is a phenomenon that has been both culturally and morally defined across time and civilizations. It is estimated that over 34,000 Americans deliberately take their own lives annually. Moreover, according to some experts, between 6 and 28 individuals are directly affected by each completed suicide. These individuals are referred to as suicide survivors. The consequences for suicide survivors are multidimensional in part because relationships to the deceased play a vital role in bereavement. Previous research studies in the areas of suicidology and bereavement have failed to explore the experience of mothers bereaved …