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Spirituality Expressed by Caregivers of Stroke Survivors
Linda L. Pierce*,
Victoria Steiner,
Heidi Havens,
and
Karen Tormoehlen
* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: l.pierce{at}utoledo.edu.
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Abstract |
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Thirty-six caregivers of stroke survivors who are new to that role participate in a Web-based support and education intervention over the course of a year. The authors use a secondary analysis of a total of 2,148 e-mail messages that these caregivers posted to the intervention’s discussion group. Rigorous content analysis is used to analyze the narrative data coded to spirituality (n = 230 e-mails). Four themes emerge and are drawn to Friedemann’s (1995) framework of systemic organization: (a) feeling the presence of a greater power, (b) practicing rituals, (c) being one with nature, and (d) interacting with family and friends. Spirituality gives these caregivers hope and sustenance, but it also helps them express themselves more fully during a difficult time of change. The e-mail discussion data presented here highlight the importance of increased awareness of addressing spirituality in nurse–client encounters and designing interventions to support the caregivers.
First published on March 21, 2008, doi:10.1177/0193945907310560
Western Journal of Nursing Research 2008;30:606.
A more recent version of this article appeared on August 1, 2008
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