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Searching for meaning in negative events: concept analysis.
Brenda G Skaggs1, Cecilia R Barron
1Quality Improvement Specialist, Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA. Brenda.Skaggs@med.va.gov
Journal of Advanced Nursing
|February 28, 2006
Summary
When negative events shatter an individual's sense of purpose, a search for meaning begins. This process involves adjusting situational or global meaning to cope with distress and facilitate adaptation.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Nursing
- Health Sciences
Background:
- Unexpected, negative events like severe illness disrupt life plans and cause distress.
- Nurses play a crucial role in helping individuals cope with and integrate these events.
Observation:
- A literature search identified 86 relevant studies on meaning-making and coping.
- Key terms included meaning, search for meaning, meaning-making, and stress.
Findings:
- Global meaning (beliefs, values, purpose) and situational meaning are distinct.
- Meaning is shattered when situational meaning conflicts with global meaning, initiating a search for meaning.
- Individuals may alter situational meaning (reattribution, illusions) or global meaning (reappraisal, problem-solving) during this search.
Implications:
- Understanding the search for meaning process is vital for nursing interventions.
- Further research is needed to develop targeted nursing interventions and assessment measures for this process.