MEANING OF LIFE IN ORGAN TRANSPLANT RECIPIENTS.
Contributors: Medical College of Georgia.
Published: 1993
Number of pages: 154
Subjects: Health Sciences, Nursing.; Psychology, Personality.
Description: The purpose of this study was to explicate the meaning of life as experienced in a population of renal, cardiac, and liver transplant recipients. The method used was two-fold: A phenomenological design to explore qualities of the lived experience in subjective terms. A questionnaire provided measurable information for corroboration and validation.

The theoretical perspective of will to meaning (Frankl, 1969) served as a basis for the study. This view suggests that the search for personal meaning is a primary motivating force for continued survival in human beings.

A convenience sample of eleven vital organ transplant recipients participated in the study. Initially, the Life Attitude Profile-Revised (LAP-R) (Reker, 1992) was completed by each participant. This is a multidimensional, Likert-type instrument measuring attitudes toward life. Questionnaire completion was followed by semi-structured interviews.

The two sets of data were examined separately. Interviews were analyzed according to phenomenological guidelines set forth by van Kaam (1966), leading to structural definition of the meaning of life for organ transplant recipients. LAP-R data were then analyzed. Analysis culminated in a syncretic integration of findings from both data sources. This provided a rich, contextual description of the indomitability of the human spirit.

The meaning of life for organ transplant recipients was a complexity of interconnected aspects, reflecting a paradox of emotions and great intensity. It was at once evolutionary and revolutionary, comedy and tragedy, struggle between dependence and independence, and dream tempered by reality. Important themes described included drawing on internal sources of strength; having the support of family and friends; a desire to help others; acknowledgement of the contributions of a "greater force" to continued survival; some semblance of inner peace; a need to achieve one's purpose in life; and a sense of renewed responsibility for oneself and one's health.

Findings from this study afford new insights for clinical nursing. These insights are grounded in improved mutual understanding between persons, which is a critical element for efficient health care planning and effective intervention.
Notes: Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 54-05, Section: B, page: 2441.

Thesis (PH.D.)--MEDICAL COLLEGE OF GEORGIA, 1993.

School code: 0305.