Achieving harmony of mind : a grounded theory study of people living with HIV/AIDS in the Thai context : a thesis presented in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing, Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand
Year: 2010
Type: dissertation
Abstract: The aims in this Straussian grounded theory inquiry were to gain better understanding \nof the meaning of spirituality and of the process of spiritual development in people \nliving with HIV/AIDS in the Thai context. In Western contexts, spirituality has been \ndescribed as the essence of human existence. However, in the Thai context, where \nBuddhist teachings underpin the understanding of life as body and mind, rather than as \nbody, mind and spirit, the concept of spirituality is little understood by lay people. This \ngap in understanding called for an inductive approach to knowledge generation. \nHIV/AIDS is a life-altering and deeply stigmatized disease that results in significant \ndistress and calls into question the meaning and purpose of life for many who are \ndiagnosed with the disease. Nevertheless, some Thai people living with the disease \nsuccessfully adjust their lives to their situation and are able to live with peace and \nharmony. These findings raise questions firstly as to the process by which those \nparticipants achieved peace and harmony despite the nature of the disease and the \nlimited access to ARV drugs at the time of that study; and secondly as to whether or not \nthe peace and harmony that they described could be linked to the Western concept of \nspirituality. \nData were gathered from 33 participants from the South of Thailand, who had lived \nwith HIV/AIDS for 5 years or more, were aged 18 years or older, and were willing and \nable to participate in this study. Purposive, snowball and theoretical sampling \ntechniques were used to select participants. Data collection using in-depth interviews \nand participant observation methods was undertaken over a nine-month period in 2006. \nThe process of data analysis was guided by Strauss and Corbin’s grounded theory and \nresulted in the development of a substantive theory. \nThe substantive theory of Achieving Harmony of Mind comprises two categories: \nstruggling to survive and living life. Each category has two subcategories: \nencountering distress (tukjai) and overcoming distress (longjai), and accomplishing \nharmony in oneself and discovering an ultimate meaning in life respectively. The \nmetaphor of ‘an eclipse’ was used to describe the process of the development of mind of \npeople living with HIV/AIDS and represents the extent to which the individual’s mind \nis overshadowed by the diagnosis of HIV/AIDS and its consequences. Diagnosis of this \ndisease turns participants’ lives upside down. Yet selective disclosure of one’s HIV \nstatus, resulting in the receiving of support and connectedness with others, enables \nparticipants to find meaning and purpose in life that enables them to recover the will to \nlive and to attempt to stabilise their lives by learning to live with HIV/AIDS. \nMost participants were able to adjust their mind to accept their new situation and find \nnew self value enabling them to feel free from the shadow of HIV/AIDS and live life \nwith HIV/AIDS as normal. Fewer participants found an ultimate meaning in life – \nconsistent with Buddhist teachings about suffering and uncertainty, and the \nimpermanence of life that links with an understanding of ‘nonself’ – that enabled them \nto obtain peace and harmony of mind (kwarmsa-ngobjai). It is this latter stage that \nrepresents spirituality in Buddhist terms. This form of spirituality differs significantly \nfrom that found in other religions because it does not involve an engagement with \na divine and transcendent reality. \nThe findings of this study enhance knowledge about spirituality in the Thai context, and \nprovide a guide for health professionals and education curricula with the aim of \nachieving more holistic care for patients.
Author: Quantar Balthip
Language: English
Subfield: Health
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W203529162