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Bereavement is an ongoing process of negotiation and meaning-making in which widows and widowers make sense of the changed nature of their relationship with their deceased spouse. We analyzed the experiences of meaning in life among older widows and widowers (aged 65+) using interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA; see Smith et al. in Interpretative phenomenological analysis: Theory, method and research, Sage, 2009), with the following question: How do widows and widowers search for meaning through continuing and/or transforming their bond to their deceased spouse? The results demonstrate that some of the widowed persons sought meaning through rituals or various means of after-death communication with their deceased spouses. Other participants transformed the bond, for example, through clearing out their deceased spouse’s belongings or a process of reconciliation. Many continued and transformed the bond simultaneously, which shows that negotiation of the relationship after the death of a spouse is an ongoing process in which both continuity and change are present. The experience of a violation of meaning in life affected the participants’ capacity to continue their bond with their deceased spouse.

Background The European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) has developed the Spiritual Well-being Questionnaire (EORTC QLQ-SWB32), a measure of spiritual well-being validated with people receiving palliative care for cancer, although its usefulness is not restricted to that population. We aimed to translate and validate this tool in Finnish and to study the relationship between spiritual well-being (SWB) and quality of life (QOL). Methods A Finnish translation was produced according to the guidelines of EORTC and included forward- and back-translations. Face, content, construct and convergence/divergence validity and reliability were studied in a prospective manner. QOL was assessed with EORTC QLQ-C30 and 15D questionnaires. Sixteen individuals participated in the pilot testing. 101 cancer patients drawn from oncology units, and 89 patients with other chronic diseases drawn from religious communities in different parts of the country participated in the validation stage. Retest was obtained from 16 individuals (8 cancer and 8 non-cancer patients). Inclusion criteria included patients with either a well-defined palliative care plan, or who would benefit from palliative care, as well as the capacity to understand and communicate in Finnish. Results The translation appeared understandable and acceptable. Factorial analysis identified four scoring scales with high Cronbach alfa values: Relationship with Self (0.73), Relationship with Others (0.84), Relationship with Something Greater (0.82), Existential (0.81), and, additionally, a scale on Relationship with God (0.85). There was a significant correlation between SWB and QOL in all participants. Conclusions The Finnish translation of EORTC QLQ-SWB32 is a valid and reliable measure both for research and clinical practice. SWB is correlated with QOL in cancer and non-cancer patients undergoing palliative care or who are eligible for it.

Tämä artikkeli perehtyy siihen, miten kokemus elämän merkityksellisyydestä näyttäytyi ensimmäisen korona-aallon aikana. Määrällinen tutkimusaineisto kerättiin keväällä 2020. Pääosa kyselyyn vastanneista (N = 1162) oli suomalaisia, puolalaisia, italialaisia ja espanjalaisia. Tutkimustulokset osoittavat, että kokemus elämän merkityksellisyydestä säilyi varsin vahvana koronapandemian alkupuolella. Uskonnollisuus näyttäytyi vastaajien keskuudessa merkityksellisyyttä vahvistavana tekijänä. Myös vastaajien korkea koulutustaso ja ikääntyminen vaikuttivat tukevan merkityksellisyyden kokemusta. Pandemian leviämisen ja merkityksen kokemuksen välillä löytyi myös yhteys. Tulokset osoittavat, että vaikka ihminen kokee merkityksellisyyden kokemusta, voi hän tulla haastetuksi muilla elämän alueilla. Pandemian pitkittyessä onkin oletettavaa, että ihmisten henkisen ja hengellisen tuen tarpeet moninaistuvat.

The paper aims to discover how youth at risk of becoming marginalised describe the relations between meaning, faith and belonging. The data consists of 20 individual interviews with young people living in the small rural district of Lammi in southern Finland, including the experiences of three asylum seekers. Thematic analysis of the data indicated that these young people experienced lack of belonging on the levels of relationships and life context. Formations of personal faith and meaning in life become contested when it is not possible to find belonging. Meaning and belonging are found to be the roots for the growth of faith.

Increasingly more older people are now being cared for in their own homes. Furthermore, it has become more common that people stay at home to receive end-of-life care. Using interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA), we analyzed the religious experiences of older people (aged 65+). We answered these questions: What kind of religious experiences do older people have when death is approaching? What does this tell us about their religious coping? As IPA is based on the in-depth analysis of small amounts of homogenous data, we analyzed five interviews with older people who were dying. We identified three main themes. First, religious experiences are relational, that is, deeply rooted in personal relationships. Second, religious experiences are real and can provide both struggles and comfort in the last stage of life. Third, the experience of encountering one&rsquo, s mortality and planning for one&rsquo, s death was calming, while many had unclear views on the afterlife, the idea of continuing bonds after death was comforting. More open discussion on religious matters, death, and dying would be welcomed as part of home-based end-of-life care.

The article presents empirical findings on religious, spiritual, and secular coping among emerging Finnish adults with cancer and seeks an understanding of the different meanings they constructed of their experience with cancer. Autobiographical interviews and life tree drawings of 16 emerging adults were analyzed utilizing a narrative approach. To gain a deeper understanding of the cancer-coping and meaning-making processes, the stories of Beth, Sophia, and Anna are explored in detail. An exploration of the meaning-making process of all the participants shows that over time many of the participants were able to find meaning in their cancer experience. Religious meaning was found when the disease was discovered as a calling from God, spiritual meaning was discovered within a buffered identity and important relationships, and secular meaning was found in the courage to make a career change. The theoretical discussion points out a gap between the disciplines of theology and psychology of religion. The gap is partly bridged by utilizing the concepts of lived religion and existentially oriented spirituality in the discussion of meaning-making theories.

The aim of this article is to provide an image of the beginning, growth, and current situation of healthcare chaplaincy in Finland. The history of the chaplaincy takes us back decades, yet the healthcare chaplaincy as we know it today was formed in the 1960s. The Evangelical-Lutheran Church of Finland has played a significant role in the development of the chaplaincy. Two contexts exist as chaplaincy locales: healthcare and the Evangelical-Lutheran Church of Finland. It took decades for healthcare chaplaincy to find its place within and between these two contexts, yet the recent cutbacks in personnel do not promise easy years for the future. Research within this manifold subject is diverse, but new studies are still needed to tackle the challenges of the changing context, work climate, and divergent needs of the patients.