Movement Between Suffering and Health-Experience of Health During Long-Term Illness.
Monika Koskinen, Camilla A Koskinen
PMID 40551347WHAT IT FOUND
Seven people with long-term illness described health as moving between letting go and holding on, changing attitude towards life, and trusting life to carry them.
They could feel healthy despite illness without needing to perform.
Key findings
01The analysis produced three main themes: moving between letting go and holding on, a changed attitude towards life, and trusting life to carry you.
02Participants described health as not depending on bodily function or absence of illness, and as possible without performance.
03When illness removed control, participants put trust in other people, healthcare, or something bigger such as God or the universe.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
Only seven participants were included, so the themes may not transfer to all people with long-term illness. The participants had different illnesses, and the study did not aim to describe illness-specific experiences. The data were collected in Finland in 2018 for a previous study and analysed here with new research questions, so context may limit applicability. The study is qualitative and does not test whether any care approach improves health, coping, or clinical outcomes.
Declared interests
The authors declare no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read these themes as evidence that gratitude, letting go, or trust improve health outcomes. They describe how seven people understood health during long-term illness; they do not test any intervention or outcome.