Subjective experience of meningitis survivors: a transversal qualitative study using interpretative phenomenological analysis

Objectives (1) To capture the subjective experience of meningitis survivors during adolescence and adulthood and (2) To explore how they give meaning to this specific experience.Design A qualitative study of in-depth interviews using interpretative phenomenological analysis.Settings Participants rec...

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Main Authors: Elisabetta Scanferla, Léonor Fasse, Philip Gorwood
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: BMJ Publishing Group 2020-08-01
Series:BMJ Open
Online Access:https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/10/8/e037168.full
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author Elisabetta Scanferla
Léonor Fasse
Philip Gorwood
author_facet Elisabetta Scanferla
Léonor Fasse
Philip Gorwood
author_sort Elisabetta Scanferla
collection DOAJ
description Objectives (1) To capture the subjective experience of meningitis survivors during adolescence and adulthood and (2) To explore how they give meaning to this specific experience.Design A qualitative study of in-depth interviews using interpretative phenomenological analysis.Settings Participants recruited through an association of persons affected by meningitis and their relatives.Participants Convenience sample of nine participants (seven women and two men) between the ages of 18 to 48 years (mean=28.3, SD=11.4), who personally experienced meningitis.Results Eight major themes and three main meaning-making processes in relation to the participants’ experiences of meningitis were identified: (1) the ability to rely on the testimony of others, (2) the impossibility of meaning-making and (3) the possibility of post-traumatic growth. We detailed here five major themes, which appear critical to answering the objective of the study.Conclusions This study provides a unique insight into the first-hand experience of surviving meningitis. Findings highlighted factors characterising the disease experience, the psychological adjustment of meningitis survivors and their meaning-making processes. These findings are important for both research and clinical practice, demonstrating the importance of direct involvement of meningitis survivors in identifying key aspects of care, which include the critical role of relatives, and the importance of investigating the need for training among healthcare providers on how to diagnose meningitis.
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spelling doaj-art-dc3a18eea3294fd38bbeede8ee698b272025-08-20T02:51:03ZengBMJ Publishing GroupBMJ Open2044-60552020-08-0110810.1136/bmjopen-2020-037168Subjective experience of meningitis survivors: a transversal qualitative study using interpretative phenomenological analysisElisabetta Scanferla0Léonor Fasse1Philip Gorwood2ED 450, Université de Paris, Paris, FranceDépartement de Soins de Support, Gustave Roussy Institute, Villejuif, France1 Institute of Psychiatry and Neuroscience of Paris (IPNP), INSERM U1266, Team Vulnerability to Psychiatric and Addictive Disorders, Université Paris Cité, Paris, FranceObjectives (1) To capture the subjective experience of meningitis survivors during adolescence and adulthood and (2) To explore how they give meaning to this specific experience.Design A qualitative study of in-depth interviews using interpretative phenomenological analysis.Settings Participants recruited through an association of persons affected by meningitis and their relatives.Participants Convenience sample of nine participants (seven women and two men) between the ages of 18 to 48 years (mean=28.3, SD=11.4), who personally experienced meningitis.Results Eight major themes and three main meaning-making processes in relation to the participants’ experiences of meningitis were identified: (1) the ability to rely on the testimony of others, (2) the impossibility of meaning-making and (3) the possibility of post-traumatic growth. We detailed here five major themes, which appear critical to answering the objective of the study.Conclusions This study provides a unique insight into the first-hand experience of surviving meningitis. Findings highlighted factors characterising the disease experience, the psychological adjustment of meningitis survivors and their meaning-making processes. These findings are important for both research and clinical practice, demonstrating the importance of direct involvement of meningitis survivors in identifying key aspects of care, which include the critical role of relatives, and the importance of investigating the need for training among healthcare providers on how to diagnose meningitis.https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/10/8/e037168.full
spellingShingle Elisabetta Scanferla
Léonor Fasse
Philip Gorwood
Subjective experience of meningitis survivors: a transversal qualitative study using interpretative phenomenological analysis
BMJ Open
title Subjective experience of meningitis survivors: a transversal qualitative study using interpretative phenomenological analysis
title_full Subjective experience of meningitis survivors: a transversal qualitative study using interpretative phenomenological analysis
title_fullStr Subjective experience of meningitis survivors: a transversal qualitative study using interpretative phenomenological analysis
title_full_unstemmed Subjective experience of meningitis survivors: a transversal qualitative study using interpretative phenomenological analysis
title_short Subjective experience of meningitis survivors: a transversal qualitative study using interpretative phenomenological analysis
title_sort subjective experience of meningitis survivors a transversal qualitative study using interpretative phenomenological analysis
url https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/10/8/e037168.full
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