Personal Strengths in Chronic Illness (Kristjansdottir et al., 2018)

Vocabulary flashcards covering the qualitative findings, domains of personal strengths, salutogenic concepts, relational inquiry applications, and methodological appraisal of Kristjansdottir et al. (2018).

Strengths-focused approach

A nursing care perspective that broadens focus beyond deficits, risks, and nonadherence to identify personal and environmental resources that help people live with illness, while complementing rather than replacing the assessment of needs and dangers.

Ambrosio's typologies of living with chronic illness

A conceptual framework that characterizes four changing ways of living and key attributes of chronic illness experience, contrasted with Kristjansdottir et al.'s focus on identifying useful resources across experiences rather than categorizing people into types.

Healing Process of Moving On Framework

A framework developed by Robinson focusing on family phases, sharing the illness burden, adapting activities, and renewing life when making room for chronic illness.

Internal strengths

A domain of personal resources identified by Kristjansdottir et al. that includes persistence, positive outlook, kindness and caring toward others, positive emotions, self-kindness, reconciliation with the situation, courage, and knowledge/insight.

External strengths

A domain encompassing environmental and social resources—such as supportive family, friends, peers, healthcare providers, safe surroundings, financial security, accommodating work conditions, and community resources—that can facilitate or constrain the use of internal strengths.

Self-management strategies

A domain of actionable practices perceived by individuals as strengths because they assist daily living, including being active, pacing, adjusting goals, resting, seeking help, reflecting, breathing, and distraction.

Generalized Resistance Resources (GRRs)

A concept from Antonovsky's salutogenic theory referring to the material, psychological, and social resources that assist individuals in coping with stressors and maintaining health.

Salutogenic connection

An orientation in chronic illness care that investigates and supports the origins of health and personal resources, rather than solely examining pathogenesis or the origins of illness.

Relational inquiry: Intrapersonal level

A practice of exploring an individual's internal experience by examining body knowledge, courage, hope, and self-judgment through questions such as what helps them keep going or signals that it is time to rest.

Relational inquiry: Interpersonal level

A practice of assessing relational dynamics, trust, reciprocity, and nurse assumptions by exploring who provides effective support and identifying well-intended assistance that feels controlling or unhelpful.

Relational inquiry: Contextual level

A practice of assessing structural and environmental factors—such as finances, housing space, transport, safety, and systemic access—that make a care plan possible or impossible.

Study sample of Kristjansdottir et al. (2018)

A qualitative study cohort consisting of 39 Norwegian-speaking adults (11 men; age range 31–71, mean 50.3) participating in rehabilitation or self-management programmes for chronic pain (18), obesity (14), or respiratory illness (7).

Methodological limitations of Kristjansdottir et al. (2018)

Study constraints including reliance on extracted meaning units rather than full verbatim transcripts, absence of interrater reliability statistics, unrecorded illness duration and severity, and a sample limited to individuals already enrolled in rehabilitation programmes.

Co-designing care

The collaborative clinical practice of recognizing a patient's individual strengths and mutually planning how to apply them, without substituting an injunction to be optimistic for necessary medical treatment, social support, or structural change.