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The Process of Meaning in Life Among Nursing Students: Presenting a Conceptual Map
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Sima Ghasemi   , Hossein Davoodi , Hassan Heidari , Khalil Ghaffari |
| Islamic Azad University, Khomein, Iran. , mohammad.410@yahoo.com |
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Abstract: (226 Views) |
Introduction: The meaning of life in nursing is a fundamental value that nursing students explore and discover during their academic years. This meaning is shaped through personal and professional experiences and plays a key role in their psychological well-being and professional performance. It can also serve as a conceptual map to guide future students. This study aimed to investigate the process of forming the meaning of life among final-year nursing students at the Islamic Azad University, Zanjan Branch, and to present a conceptual map.
Methods: This mixed-methods research was conducted in 2024 with the participation of ten final-year undergraduate nursing students (with high scores on the Steger Meaning in Life Scale) and six experienced faculty members from the nursing department at the Islamic Azad University, Zanjan Branch. Quantitative data were collected using the Steger questionnaire and analyzed with SPSS 16 software. Qualitative data were gathered through semi-structured interviews and analyzed using qualitative content analysis (Meyering model) with MAXQDA 2020 software.
Results: The quantitative results showed that the average score for the meaning of life among students was 48.43 out of 70, with a standard deviation of 7.47. Qualitative findings revealed that the meaning of life manifested in three dimensions: individual (interpersonal skills with the highest frequency, purposefulness, human-spiritual values, and self-awareness), professional (responsibility with the highest frequency, resilience, and self-efficacy), and social (positive interactions with the highest frequency, collaboration, and a sense of belonging).
Conclusion: Final-year nursing students, despite having a relatively high level of meaning in life, are still in the phase of searching for meaning. Their sense of meaning impacts personal, social, and professional growth and is influenced by the educational environment, social culture, and economic conditions. The designed conceptual map examines the interaction of individual, experienced, and social codes alongside influencing factors within an open and dynamic system. These findings can serve as a foundation for designing educational programs and targeted to enhance the meaning of life and improv the quality of nursing care.
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| Keywords: Meaning of life, Process of meaning in life, Nursing students, Conceptual map. |
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Full-Text [PDF 715 kb]
(111 Downloads)
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Type of Study: Qualitative-Research |
Subject:
General
Received: 2025/03/8 | Accepted: 2025/04/20 | Published: 2025/04/30
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