Back to life again--patients' experiences of hope three to four years after a spinal cord injury--a longitudinal study.

This paper presents narratives that focus on experiences of hope, told by 10 participants three to four years after suffering spinal cord injury. Experiences of hope are understood as vital, essential and dynamic aspects of human life and human health. This is the first study addressing patients' experiences of hope three to four years following spinal cord injury. This study has a descriptive, longitudinal design, and is part of a larger study on patients' experiences of hope three to four years following spinal cord injury (Lohne, 2001, 2006, 2008a, 2008b; Lohne & Severinsson, 2004a, 2004b, 2005, 2006). Data were collected at three points in time by personal interviews. A phenomenological approach inspired by Ricoeur (1976) was used to extract the meaningful content of the patients' experiences. Findings revealed three main themes: Life-related hopes (I), Body-related hopes (II), and Creative and expanding hopes (III). Results indicated that three to four years following injury, participants were focusing on life more than on hope due to improvements and adaptation to a new life.