The manifest analysis of the interview text produced six categories: concern, stress, helplessness, security, support, and happiness. The latent content interpretation indicated that the concepts of control and noncontrol were relevant to the fathers' experiences. The men's experiences of early fatherhood were influenced by their ability to experience control. When concern, stress, and helplessness dominated the fathers' experiences and coincided with low levels of happiness, support, and security, they experienced noncontrol. Conversely, when they experienced support, security, and happiness, they felt that they were in control and able to handle the situation.

Men with prostate cancer (n=25) were interviewed, focusing on experiences of micturition problems, indwelling catheter treatment and sexual life consequences. Narrations were found to be practical and technical descriptions rather than emotional, and experiences were described with reduction and negligence regarding personal well-being and the impact of problems. Phenomenological-hermeneutic analysis was used and findings ordered in subthemes and themes of meaning. Micturition problems, catheter treatment and sexual life problems were all phenomena that radically affected the clients' autonomy and life quality and changed the life continuum. Impact from the disease was either accepted or not and related to what had already been borne in life. Experiences were linked together, each of them giving rise to feelings of physical deterioration and fear of ridicule, and hidden from others. Maintaining self-image and social role was important and connected with the degree of perceived deprivation of life content. Responsibility for medical decisions was left to professionals while everyday problems with micturition, catheters and sexual life were regarded as the men's sole responsibility. Findings were interpreted to mean that comparing the personal situation with that of others worse off made the life situation look better. The clinical implication of this study was that because the men came forward with their problems when given time to talk in their own way these areas should be given time and interest in the nursing care. Interpretation did not provide a unified picture of problems. Thus, nurses will have to seek men's individual experience actively and give legitimacy to patients' problems by opening up opportunities to speak about otherwise concealed problems. Then it may be possible to provide solutions that may ease the men's burdens.

Eleven men with prostate cancer were randomly chosen and interviewed during an in-patient period at a southern Swedish hospital. The interview focused on functional health status in relation to daily life and life quality. In addition the sense of coherence scale was used, as well as the European Organization or Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) QLQ C-30 questionnaire. The interview findings were analysed from a phenomenological-hermeneutic perspective and interpreted within the concept of transition. The entry to transition was marked by the men when experiencing an altered life continuum in terms of physical and existential fatigue, pain, micturition problems and an altered sex life. The passage phase was marked by descriptions of a new lifestyle where hope was a central internal resource, creating a positive illusion of life in order to endure. Their external resources were wives and family who supported physically (household matters, gardening) and psycho-logically (comfort, encouragement). The exit phase meant continuously adapting to a new life style, living with a slowly deteriorating functional health status, a new sense of dependency on others, daily life routine broken by in-patient hospital periods and contacts with primary health care. Thus the findings pointed more at continuously facing new passages than a stable exit, i.e. an ongoing transition. The areas of life imbalance described may serve as a basis for care assessment and intervention as well as supplying support of the transitional process.

The aim of the study was to investigate men with prostate cancer and benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) in comparison with men from the general population in aspects of presence and frequency of micturition problems in remembrance of prior to treatment and currently. Further, the aim was to investigate the impact of micturition problems on quality of life and the association with micturition problems, and quality of life and sense of coherence (SOC). The samples consisted of 155 men with prostate cancer, 131 with BPH, and 129 from the general population. Micturition problems were assessed with study-specific questions, modified International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS), quality of life questionnare (QLQ C-30), and SOC questionnaires. Parametric and nonparametric statistics were applied. Most troublesome urinary problems were leakage, feelings of discomfort, and disrupted urinary function and frequency. Men with urological diagnosis had more micturition problems, fatigue, and sleeping difficulties than men from the general population, but the cancer diagnosis did not add to the problems. Role and social functioning (prostate cancer), emotional functioning (BPH), and grade of fatigue (general population) showed itself vital for overall quality of life. Thus, help in solving issues of micturition problems, fatigue, and sleeping disturbances may contribute to maintenance of role, social, and emotional aspects of life.