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Psychiatric patients' views on the concept of self‐determination: findings from a descriptive study
Author(s) -
Välimäki Maritta
Publication year - 1998
Publication title -
journal of clinical nursing
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.94
H-Index - 102
eISSN - 1365-2702
pISSN - 0962-1067
DOI - 10.1046/j.1365-2702.1998.00114.x
Subject(s) - intrapersonal communication , psychology , meaning (existential) , interpersonal communication , content analysis , interpersonal relationship , self , content (measure theory) , self concept , psychotherapist , psychiatry , medicine , social psychology , sociology , social science , mathematical analysis , mathematics
• Using content analysis of unstructured interviews, this study examined the views of 72 long‐term psychiatric patients on the concept of self‐determination. • The aim was to shed further light on the meaning of the concept for the purpose of developing a better tool for evaluation. • One‐third of the patients were familiar with the concept, another third had never heard of self‐determination. • The majority (52 patients) presented their views and definitions regardless of whether they had heard of the concept before. • Content analysis revealed two central aspects in the definitions: an intrapersonal aspect, with self‐determination defined in relation to the patients themselves or to their own activities; and an interpersonal aspect, with the focus on the patients' relationship with other persons. • In spite of its limitations, the study certainly adds to our understanding of the concept of self‐determination. • It demonstrates that psychiatric patients are capable of offering valuable insights into key concepts of nursing, even if they are abstract. • The results open new avenues for strengthening the self‐determination of psychiatric patients.