No abstract

We designed this study to identify sources of uncertainty across the transplantation trajectory. We interviewed 38 transplant patients, who reported medical, personal, and social forms of uncertainty. Prior to transplantation, they reported uncertainty related to insufficient information about diagnosis, complex decisions about transplantation, unknown/unknowable organ availability, unclear expectations about medical procedures/outcomes, ambiguity in meaning of life, complex role and identity challenges, unclear financial consequences, questioning from others, and unclear relational implications. They reported that uncertainty experienced after transplantation was related to complex medication regimens, unpredictable future health/prognosis, complex role and identity challenges, unclear financial consequences, possible stigmatizing reactions, unclear relational implications, and complex interactions with the deceased donor's family. These findings lay the groundwork for additional research on uncertainty management for transplant patients, and suggest that health care professionals and supportive others cannot apply a one-size-fits-all solution when aiding in uncertainty management.

We investigated communication and care in the context of lung cancer through qualitative interviews with 35 adult children. Participants described two core influences on communication: situational and relational influences. Participants also suggested that the ways in which support was communicated impacted how they managed challenges and how they were able to cope with the loss of their parent. This research adds to the literature on caregiving and communicating social support by exploring the experiences of families coping with lung cancer. We suggest theoretical and practical implications for the ways family members might communicate about illness.

In this study, we used a normative theoretical perspective to examine the relationship between uncertainty management and support in the lives of organ transplant patients. We conducted in-depth interviews with 8 pretransplant and 30 posttransplant patients, including individuals who were waiting for or had received a kidney, liver, heart, or pancreas. Interview transcripts were analyzed using a grounded theory approach, which involved two levels of thematic analysis. Participants reported that others provide assistance in various ways, and that this social support entailed a number of challenges. Participants also described several strategies for handling these support dilemmas. These findings suggest that the effectiveness of support is related to how well multiple goals (including uncertainty-related goals) are managed in the supportive interaction.

Uncertainty is an inherent part of most illness experiences and Alzheimer's disease in particular is fraught with uncertainties, especially for the family. In an investigation of sources of uncertainty, 33 adult children with a parent diagnosed with probable Alzheimer's disease were interviewed. Participants described medical, personal, and social sources of uncertainty related to their parent's diagnosis. This research contributes to literature on uncertainty management and addresses the specific illness experiences of families coping with uncertainty related to Alzheimer's disease. Recommendations are made for further research that focuses on the ways family members are affected by illness.