Endurance of aloneness among Tibetan indigenous women in Western China: application of repeat focus group discussions as a tool for empowerment and for data collection.

Full Abstract

In this article we describe Tibetan indigenous women's perceptions and experiences of their own health and life situation in Shichuan Province, China. Fifteen focus group discussions (FGDs) and 10 interviews were conducted. Repeat FGDs were used to empower the women and as a tool to collect data. Content analysis was used to analyze the data, and three subthemes were identified: 'shouldering responsibility in family life,' "enduring reproductive hardship and ill health" and "reflecting on the future." The main theme, "experiencing aloneness," contained two dimensions: "strength for surviving under extreme living conditions" and "negative influence on women's endeavor to maintain a healthy behavior."

Author information

Author/s: Ljunggren, Anethe (A); Johansson, Eva (E); Wang, Chunglei (C); Pettersson, Karen Odberg (KO);

Affiliation: Nordic School of Public Health, Gothenburg, Sweden. anethe.lj(-atsign-)telia.com

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Journal Article

Journal: Health care for women international (Health Care Women Int), published in United States. (Language: eng)

Reference: 2009-Sep; vol 30 (issue 9) : pp 824-44

Dates: Created 2009/08/06; Completed 2009/10/26;

PMID: 19657819, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 10/26/2009, IMS Date: )

Sourced from the National Library of Medicine. Abstract text and other information may be subject to copyright.

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