L'expérience de continuer dans les moments difficiles, une étude guidée par la perspective infirmière de l'Humaindevenant

The purpose of this study was to enhance understanding of the living experience of health, continuing on during difficult times. While it is an everyday phenomenon that is universally experienced, it has not been under the attention of health practitioners and researchers. When inquired about this topic, health practitioners are recognizing the phenomenon’s significance and relevance while acknowledging a lack of knowledge and being silent about it when they are with their patients or others, such as family members. Spontaneously, the experience of continuing on during difficult times is reminiscent of persevering on during difficult times that make us suffer, while hoping for whatever could be the best possible. The first observations of experiences that are close to the phenomenon under study appeared in/were introduced in studies about persevering, suffering and, hoping. This study’s objective was to uncover the structure of meaning for the living experience of continuing on during difficult times, from the experience of persons who described it. This current study is a contribution to the development of a knowledge base that can be useful for health practitioners who wish to meet the persons’ expectations related to an attentive presence to their living experience of health. Hence, health practitioners may foster health promotion that is patient centered while the latter is seeking the clarification of his/her situation and mobilizing his/her resources in order to make decisions and implement health related activities. Parse’s phenomenological-hermeneutic research method was used to answer the research question : What is the structure of the living experience of continuing on during difficult times? Twelve adults living in two regions of Québec in Canada took part in the study. Data were collected through dialogical engagement and analysed through the extraction-synthesis processes. The descriptions of results came from the synthesized verbatim and up to the conceptual abstraction in the chosen ontology. Core concepts were identified and joined in a structure in order to answer the research question. The central result of this study is the following structure: continuing on during difficult times is the resolute fortitude amid vicissitudes with the equivoqual quest for contentment as an expanded horizon is emerging with benevolent alliances. This structure was joined to the humanbecoming ontology and extant literature. The heuristic interpretation includes some metaphorical emergings and an artistic expression that offer a different point of view on the results. Through artform, the results can be shared with all audiences. This study is contributing to nursing knowledge, expanding the chosen ontology, and enhancing the understanding about continuing on during difficult times. The latter phenomenon may be acknowledged as a universal living experience of health as persons are wishing to foresee overtures with possibles for their health and quality of life. Finally, implications for research, for education and for nursing practice are presented.

Keyphrases: Fortitude, Continuing on, Difficult times, Fortitude, Humanbecoming, Parse research method, Persevering, Suffering, Hoping, Hope