Louise Søgaard Hansen, Anne-Louise Bjerregaard, Peter Bindslev Iversen, Nicole Thualagant
{"title":"Men and type 2 diabetes: how everyday knowledge remains unshared in gendered medical encounters.","authors":"Louise Søgaard Hansen, Anne-Louise Bjerregaard, Peter Bindslev Iversen, Nicole Thualagant","doi":"10.1080/17482631.2025.2495379","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/17482631.2025.2495379","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose: </strong>Managing everyday life with type 2 diabetes can be challenging. In particular, men considered vulnerable are often portrayed as lacking self-management. This paper challenges this assumption by highlighting the unheeded knowledge and self-care practices these men develop, and by exploring how these are included in healthcare encounters at an outpatient clinic in Denmark.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Data were collected through observations of clinical practice and subsequent interviews with 12 men who have type 2 diabetes. A thematic analysis was conducted to explore their daily experiences of managing chronic illness and their encounters with healthcare professionals.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Men considered vulnerable manifest important knowledge and strategies in managing type 2 diabetes in their daily lives, often perceiving the illness as barely present. Their encounters with healthcare professionals, particularly females, often draw on repertoires from previous experiences with (often female) care professionals and seem to follow a certain script for (female) carers encountering disadvantaged (male) care recipients. These dynamics frequently overlook the men's lived experiences and self-management knowledge.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Men considered vulnerable develop important coping strategies and knowledge for managing type 2 diabetes in their everyday lives. However, their encounters with health professionals often perpetuate gendered assumptions and exclusion of their everyday experiences and knowledge.</p>","PeriodicalId":51468,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Qualitative Studies on Health and Well-Being","volume":"20 1","pages":"2495379"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12039422/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144059713","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Hardship, coping, and joy: ACPs' experiences of working through the COVID-19 pandemic.","authors":"Emily Heavey, Melanie Rogers, Vanessa Taylor, Lihua Wu, Angela Windle","doi":"10.1080/17482631.2025.2495382","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/17482631.2025.2495382","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose: </strong>This paper reports Advanced Clinical Practitioners' (ACPs) experiences of working in the United Kingdom during the COVID-19 pandemic, specifically the factors that impacted their mental, emotional, and physical wellbeing.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>The study presents qualitative data collected via two surveys in 2020 and 2021. Several survey questions elicited free-text responses, including a specific request for narratives. Narrative responses were thematically analysed and cross-referenced with non-narrative qualitative responses.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Three factors contributed to poor wellbeing: a changing work environment and expectations; bearing witness to the impact of Covid on patients; and the risk of catching and spreading Covid. Three factors improved wellbeing, whether through mitigating these challenges or directly, in the absence of specific hardship. These factors were new working practices; support structures; and individual resilience and self-managed coping strategies.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>This study expands research on professionals' experiences of working through Covid to the under-researched experience of ACPs and demonstrates the intersecting and overlapping nature of factors contributing to poor and positive wellbeing. There are significant implications for stakeholders who need to consider the impact of future pandemics and opportunities for supporting and promoting wellbeing post-pandemic. The analysis also highlights the rich narrative data that can be collected using surveys.</p>","PeriodicalId":51468,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Qualitative Studies on Health and Well-Being","volume":"20 1","pages":"2495382"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12051582/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144048337","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Decision-making participation of people with mental health difficulties at a community rehabilitation center in Taiwan.","authors":"Meng-Hsuan Hsieh, Heng-Hao Chang","doi":"10.1080/17482631.2025.2475566","DOIUrl":"10.1080/17482631.2025.2475566","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose: </strong>This study employed institutional ethnography to analyse the experiences of individuals with mental health difficulties in a Taiwanese community rehabilitation centre.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This study applies the institutional ethnography method. Data were gathered through participatory observation; in-depth interviews with individuals with mental health difficulties and professionals; and textual analysis of policies, regulations, and practices within the centre.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>First, entrenched power dynamics persist, stifling discourse on the agency of individuals with mental health difficulties. The prevalent medical model continues to govern service provision, reinforcing professional hierarchies that impede collaboration. Second, community rehabilitation centres exacerbate disadvantages for case managers (who are muted in the presence of professionals) and service users (who lose autonomy in professional discussions). Third, compliance assessments overshadow individualized care. Fourth, the community rehabilitation model may inadvertently confine service users, prolonging institutionalization and conforming to societal norms.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>This study underscores the need for significant improvements in Taiwan's mental healthcare system to emphasize individuals' rights.</p>","PeriodicalId":51468,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Qualitative Studies on Health and Well-Being","volume":"20 1","pages":"2475566"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11924254/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143659750","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Ulrik Sidenius, Sus Sola Corazon, Dorthe Varning Poulsen, Lisbeth Jul Olsen, Natasha Kæreby
{"title":"The experiences and perspectives of participating in a nature integrative rehabilitation programme when suffering from post-concussion syndrome: responses, gains, and impact from using enriched nature environments as a rehabilitation setting and integrating nature as rehabilitation means.","authors":"Ulrik Sidenius, Sus Sola Corazon, Dorthe Varning Poulsen, Lisbeth Jul Olsen, Natasha Kæreby","doi":"10.1080/17482631.2025.2503604","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/17482631.2025.2503604","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose: </strong>This study aims to understand the perspectives of individuals participating in a nature integrative rehabilitation (NIR) programme for post-concussion syndrome (PCS) in Denmark. The focus is on benefits, challenges, and impact of using enriched natural environments in rehabilitation.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A qualitative approach was employed, utilizing semi-structured interviews with 23 participants who completed a 10-week NIR programme in a therapy garden. Thematic analysis was conducted to identify key themes and patterns in participants' experiences.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Participants reported enhanced emotional and sensory engagement with natural environments, leading to decreased PCS symptoms. The structured nature integrative activities promoted present-moment awareness, relaxation, and physical activity, which were valued by the participants. The facilitators' ability to adapt activities to individual needs was crucial to the perceived benefit of the programme. Group settings provided social support, reducing feelings of isolation.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>NIR supports individuals with PCS by enhancing emotional well-being, reducing symptoms, and providing coping strategies. Alongside social support, the flexibility of the activities, allowing individuals to engage according to their symptoms and capabilities, is critical for rehabilitative outcomes. Future research should explore long-term effects and refine intervention protocols for implementation in the healthcare system to ensure the efficacy of NIR for people with PCS.</p>","PeriodicalId":51468,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Qualitative Studies on Health and Well-Being","volume":"20 1","pages":"2503604"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144129504","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Chiyembekezo Focus Maganga, Lusizi Kambalame, Aeron M A Nahuku, Victor Lordwin Chikoti
{"title":"Lessons learned from approaches in COVID-19 risk Communication and community engagement in Malawi: an exploratory study.","authors":"Chiyembekezo Focus Maganga, Lusizi Kambalame, Aeron M A Nahuku, Victor Lordwin Chikoti","doi":"10.1080/17482631.2025.2516356","DOIUrl":"10.1080/17482631.2025.2516356","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose: </strong>During public health emergencies like COVID-19, approaches used in Risk Communication and Community Engagement (RCCE) are critical in the process of transmitting and exchanging health information. However, there is generally limited literature on COVID-19 RCCE approaches, particularly their strengths and limitations. The current study seeks to contribute to that literature by exploring approaches that were used in COVID-19 RCCE in Malawi, a sub-Saharan African (SSA) country, and drawing lessons from the response based on experiences of those who implemented it.</p><p><strong>Method: </strong>Using in-depth interviews with ten key informants and ten project reports from three organizations, data were analysed thematically in MAXQDA 2022.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Significant themes that emerged revealed COVID-19 RCCE employed use of interpersonal approaches like training, peer education, mHealth and social media; use of community mobilization strategies like engagement meetings and dialogues, loud hearing through mobile vans and whistle stops; behaviour change printed materials; and the mass media. Effectiveness hinged on each method's accessibility, intrinsic qualities, and reach. Implementers also emphasized the value of combining multiple approaches and the challenges posed by COVID-19 restrictions.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>The study underscores the need to select context-appropriate, accessible RCCE approaches to convey critical information, and contributes to the evidence base for future pandemic responses, especially in resource-limited settings.</p>","PeriodicalId":51468,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Qualitative Studies on Health and Well-Being","volume":"20 1","pages":"2516356"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12164384/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144276567","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Franziska Pfannerstill, Eva Maria Propst, Johanna Gutenberg, Rik Crutzen, Stefan Tino Kulnik
{"title":"\"If you ask me … \": experienced cardiac rehabilitation patients' perspectives on maintaining regular heart-healthy physical activity.","authors":"Franziska Pfannerstill, Eva Maria Propst, Johanna Gutenberg, Rik Crutzen, Stefan Tino Kulnik","doi":"10.1080/17482631.2025.2516616","DOIUrl":"10.1080/17482631.2025.2516616","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose: </strong>Despite the proven benefits of regular exercise and physical activity (PA), engagement of cardiac patients and adherence to recommended PA remain challenging. This study aimed to interview cardiac patients who are experienced in maintaining a physically active lifestyle to gain insight into how regular PA can become part of one's life after a cardiac event.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Twenty-five cardiac patients (18 men and 7 women; age range 39-83 years) participated in audio-recorded, semi-structured qualitative interviews. Patients were recruited from a clinical site in Salzburg, Austria, which offers ongoing weekly exercise classes under medical supervision for cardiac patients. Interview transcripts were analysed against the background of the Reasoned Action Approach and coded inductively.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Eight themes were generated that elucidated patients' long-term engagement with PA: well-being and physical benefits; health literacy; community, groups, and partners; attitude, expectation and mindset; professional supervision; digital technology; nice distractions; and possibility of personalized tailoring. These themes are linked to several elements of the Reasoned Action Approach, including attitude, norm, behavioural control, skills, and environment.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>This study highlights important aspects with respect to shaping a positive attitude towards PA and the significance of the social environment in establishing regular PA in cardiac patients.</p>","PeriodicalId":51468,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Qualitative Studies on Health and Well-Being","volume":"20 1","pages":"2516616"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12152989/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144259363","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Qualitative studies on men with prostate cancer: a systematic meta-synthesis.","authors":"Deborah Bekele, Angel Martínez-Hernáez","doi":"10.1080/17482631.2024.2436720","DOIUrl":"10.1080/17482631.2024.2436720","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose: </strong>Prostate cancer (PCa) is the second most common cancer among men. Despite advancements in clinical interventions and improvements in public health outreach, a multi-dimensional lack of understanding of the lived experiences of men diagnosed with PCa continues. Improving the quantity and quality of knowledge about this subject could guide clinical decisions and interventions for this group.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This paper reviews qualitative studies focusing on PCa patients using the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme tool (CASP), synthesizes the data, and maps the overarching themes through a systematic meta-synthesis.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The authors identified 3546 manuscripts, of which 103 met the inclusion criteria. Six themes were identified that addressed: support needs, diagnosis, and treatment experiences, lived experiences, information accessibility, care, and threats to masculinity.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Treatment side-effects caused a re-configuration and re-evaluation of masculine ideologies. Men mainly relied on close family and support groups to cope with their feelings of stigma, uncertainty, and recovery. Professional healthcare and consultation quality eased their anxiety concerning long-term treatment and other factors associated with their condition. The studies were socio-demographically heterogeneous. Thus, researchers could use qualitative research to explore knowledge gaps in the following interconnected themes: masculinity care, masculinity support, masculinity information, and incorporating a more diverse socio-demographical sample.</p>","PeriodicalId":51468,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Qualitative Studies on Health and Well-Being","volume":"20 1","pages":"2436720"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142886426","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Rachel L Shaw, Gemma Heath, Virginia Eatough, Lisa Thackeray
{"title":"Parental intuition: a phenomenological structure of intuitive knowing in the context of child illness and shared decision-making in healthcare.","authors":"Rachel L Shaw, Gemma Heath, Virginia Eatough, Lisa Thackeray","doi":"10.1080/17482631.2025.2491925","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/17482631.2025.2491925","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose: </strong>Parents describe knowing instinctively when there is something wrong with their child, but they experience challenges convincing healthcare professionals of these concerns, which could prohibit timely escalation of care. Our purpose was to develop a phenomenological description of parental intuition from parents' lived experience.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We interviewed 12 parents remotely using a semi-structured schedule. Interviews were analysed using descriptive phenomenology.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>We developed a phenomenological description of parental intuition with essential elements including: parental intuition as pre-reflective and pre-linguistic, as corporeal, affective, instinctive, hysteria, and phronesis. Parental intuition was expressed as prior to consciousness and felt within the body. It manifests as heightened arousal and emotion. Parental intuition was defined as ever-present, yet questionable, potentially gendered, requiring validation. Finally, parental intuition was defined as practical wisdom built up over years of exposure to one's child, enabling a reciprocal, unspoken and intimate bond.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Our work has demonstrated the significance of parental intuition in early detection of health deterioration. We discuss philosophical conceptualizations of knowledge and evidence relating to healthcare professionals' resistance to accept parental intuition as a valid source of knowledge in healthcare. We argue that parental intuition demands integration into practice guidance on paediatric shared decision-making.</p>","PeriodicalId":51468,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Qualitative Studies on Health and Well-Being","volume":"20 1","pages":"2491925"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12004719/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144050403","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"What do autistic children who are interested in letters and numbers do with them? A qualitative study.","authors":"Alexia Ostrolenk, Mélanie Boisvert, Laurent Mottron","doi":"10.1080/17482631.2025.2500851","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/17482631.2025.2500851","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose: </strong>Over a third of autistic children exhibit an intense or exclusive interest in letters and numbers at the time of diagnosis. This article aims to qualitatively investigate the atypical manifestations of this interest in autism compared to typically developing children and determine if and how it can benefit children and their families.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>The participants were the parents of 138 autistic children (84% were non-speaking or minimally speaking) and 76 typically developing children ages 2-6. They were administered a questionnaire on their child's interest in letters and numbers, the manifestations of these interests, the parental attitude towards it, and the child's oral language. An inductive thematic analysis was performed on the qualitative data to establish recurring themes.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Eight themes were identified: atypical behaviours related to written material, emotional attachment to letters and numbers, language acquisition, use of screens, solitary behaviour, reduction of the interest over time, parental attitudes, and other special abilities.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>This study reveals that the interest in written material manifests itself in atypical ways in autism and is not comparable to the development of an interest in reading in a typically developing context. This interest also presents multiple beneficial aspects for children and their families.</p>","PeriodicalId":51468,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Qualitative Studies on Health and Well-Being","volume":"20 1","pages":"2500851"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12054553/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144053301","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Experiences of insomnia among older people living in nursing homes A qualitative study.","authors":"Eva Hjort Telhede","doi":"10.1080/17482631.2025.2476788","DOIUrl":"10.1080/17482631.2025.2476788","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose: </strong>The study aimed to explore older people's experiences of insomnia in nursing homes.</p><p><strong>Method: </strong>This qualitative study used an inductive approach with semi-structured interviews involving 19 older people (aged 67-101 years) from nine nursing homes in southwestern Sweden. The older people were purposively selected based on insomnia criteria according to the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10, G47.0) and cognitive competence according to the Standardized Mini-Mental State Examination (S-MMSE). The interviews were analysed using qualitative content analysis.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Two categories were identified: Valuing good sleep and Disruptive influence on sleep, with the subcategories of internal and external disturbances. Older people expressed that sleep was crucial to their well-being, and poor sleep quality negatively influenced their mood and physical health. They experienced internal disturbances, such as anxiety and physical discomfort, as causing sleep disturbances, but also external aspects that included environmental disturbances, reduced activity levels, loneliness, and worry about which nursing staff was on duty.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>This study highlights the critical role of sleep in maintaining energy, coping with daily life, and ensuring overall well-being for older people in nursing homes.</p>","PeriodicalId":51468,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Qualitative Studies on Health and Well-Being","volume":"20 1","pages":"2476788"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11926896/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143665350","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}