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The meaning of social adaptation after solid organ transplantation

Forsberg, Anna LU ; Karlsson, Veronika ; Cavallini, Josephine and Lennerling, Annette (2016) In Nordic Journal of Nursing Research 36(2). p.62-67
Abstract
The aim of this study was to investigate the meaning of social adaptation among solid organ transplant recipients one year after transplantation. We analysed in-depth interviews from 16 solid organ transplant recipients by means of phenomenological hermeneutics. The informants comprised 11 men and five women with a mean age of 54 years, who had received a kidney, a liver or a heart. We found the organ recipients adjusted their everyday life in order to adapt socially and achieve a normal everyday life. The meaning of social adaptation comprised six main themes revealed by one structural analysis: being restricted, changing habits, re-evaluating one’s body image, redesigning life expectations and life goals, enjoying and expanding the... (More)
The aim of this study was to investigate the meaning of social adaptation among solid organ transplant recipients one year after transplantation. We analysed in-depth interviews from 16 solid organ transplant recipients by means of phenomenological hermeneutics. The informants comprised 11 men and five women with a mean age of 54 years, who had received a kidney, a liver or a heart. We found the organ recipients adjusted their everyday life in order to adapt socially and achieve a normal everyday life. The meaning of social adaptation comprised six main themes revealed by one structural analysis: being restricted, changing habits, re-evaluating one’s body image, redesigning life expectations and life goals, enjoying and expanding the social network and being disappointed in others. We conclude that the core meaning of social adaptation is living a normal life. Social support can be emotional or instrumental and is highly valued when it helps the organ recipient to adapt and achieve normality. (Less)
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author
; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
in
Nordic Journal of Nursing Research
volume
36
issue
2
pages
62 - 67
publisher
SAGE Publications
ISSN
2057-1585
DOI
10.1177/0107408315603915
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
54948cb8-670c-494b-bd20-e006dd4df35f
date added to LUP
2019-05-31 19:17:49
date last changed
2019-06-04 13:37:07
@article{54948cb8-670c-494b-bd20-e006dd4df35f,
  abstract     = {{The aim of this study was to investigate the meaning of social adaptation among solid organ transplant recipients one year after transplantation. We analysed in-depth interviews from 16 solid organ transplant recipients by means of phenomenological hermeneutics. The informants comprised 11 men and five women with a mean age of 54 years, who had received a kidney, a liver or a heart. We found the organ recipients adjusted their everyday life in order to adapt socially and achieve a normal everyday life. The meaning of social adaptation comprised six main themes revealed by one structural analysis: being restricted, changing habits, re-evaluating one’s body image, redesigning life expectations and life goals, enjoying and expanding the social network and being disappointed in others. We conclude that the core meaning of social adaptation is living a normal life. Social support can be emotional or instrumental and is highly valued when it helps the organ recipient to adapt and achieve normality.}},
  author       = {{Forsberg, Anna and Karlsson, Veronika and Cavallini, Josephine and Lennerling, Annette}},
  issn         = {{2057-1585}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{2}},
  pages        = {{62--67}},
  publisher    = {{SAGE Publications}},
  series       = {{Nordic Journal of Nursing Research}},
  title        = {{The meaning of social adaptation after solid organ transplantation}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0107408315603915}},
  doi          = {{10.1177/0107408315603915}},
  volume       = {{36}},
  year         = {{2016}},
}