Marie Achille
Université de Montréal, Departement de psychologie, Faculty Member
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With the notable growth in the qualitative investigation of living kidney donation, there is value in aggregating results from this body of research to learn from accumulated experience. The present paper aims to draw a complete portrait... more
With the notable growth in the qualitative investigation of living kidney donation, there is value in aggregating results from this body of research to learn from accumulated experience. The present paper aims to draw a complete portrait of living donors' and recipients' experience of donation by metasummarizing published studies. We found that donors' experience, particularly the decision-making process, has been more extensively studied than the recipients' perspective. Donors differ in their initial level of motivation to donate but on the whole report positive experiences and personal benefits. They also identify difficult periods and the need for additional resources. Recipients report an often positive but more ambivalent reaction to donation. In terms of relational issues between dyads, while the topic remains understudied, the donor-recipient relationship and gift reciprocity have received the most attention. Results are discussed in terms of their implicatio...
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Our objective was to develop a rich description of how parents experience their grief in the first year after the death of their child, and how various bereavement follow-up and support services helped them during this time, with the aim... more
Our objective was to develop a rich description of how parents experience their grief in the first year after the death of their child, and how various bereavement follow-up and support services helped them during this time, with the aim of informing follow-up and support services offered to bereaved parents. Our findings situated parents' individual experiences of coping within the social and institutional contexts in which they grieved. In the first year after the death of their child, parents regulated their intense feelings of grief through loss-oriented, restoration-oriented, and/or meaning reconstruction strategies. Often, parents' relationships with others and many of the bereavement follow-up and support services helped them in this regard. This article also explores how the results may aid service providers in accompanying parents in a way that optimizes outcomes for these parents.
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This article is a theoretical as well as a practical overview of the hierarchical cluster analysis method. First, the method is presented according to the seven-step procedure proposed by Rapkin and Luke (1993). The stakes associated with... more
This article is a theoretical as well as a practical overview of the hierarchical cluster analysis method. First, the method is presented according to the seven-step procedure proposed by Rapkin and Luke (1993). The stakes associated with each of these steps are discussed and the most currently used methods are detailed. Then, a study about the quality of life of
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Research Interests: Research Design, Mental Health, Quality of life, Treatment Outcome, Adolescent, and 16 moreQuebec, Affect, Meditation, Child Behavior, Prospective studies, Humans, Child, Sleep, Clinical Sciences, Longitudinal Studies, Time Factors, Trials, Neoplasms, Cost of Illness, Clinical Protocols, and Adolescent Behavior
The purposes of this qualitative study were to (a) explore palliative care nurses' spiritual and existential experience of a meaning-centered intervention (MCI) based on... more
The purposes of this qualitative study were to (a) explore palliative care nurses' spiritual and existential experience of a meaning-centered intervention (MCI) based on Frankls' approach and to (b) describe the qualitative effects of the MCI from the nurses' point of view. Ten palliative care nurses were interviewed before and after participating in a group intervention. Data were analyzed using
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In this article we describe the phenomenon of kidney graft failure from the unique perspective of patients. Fifteen patients took part in semistructured interviews. We analyzed interviews using interpretative phenomenological analysis.... more
In this article we describe the phenomenon of kidney graft failure from the unique perspective of patients. Fifteen patients took part in semistructured interviews. We analyzed interviews using interpretative phenomenological analysis. The content analysis yielded five main emergent themes: life disruption, suffering, meaning making, resistance/acceptance, and social comparison. These results are discussed within the theoretical framework of psychosocial transition put forward by Parkes. A comprehensive description of the experience of kidney graft failure emerging from the patients' perspectives can provide a better understanding of the psychosocial aspects- not only the body aspects-of the phenomenon. It can help health care professionals better address patients' suffering, which is experienced by a person as a whole, and to offer support that promotes adaptation to kidney graft failure.
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This study aimed at investigating attitudes toward assisted suicide among individuals with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and the differences in health status (illness severity and functional disability) and psychosocial adjustment... more
This study aimed at investigating attitudes toward assisted suicide among individuals with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and the differences in health status (illness severity and functional disability) and psychosocial adjustment (depression, perceived stress, social support, and coping) between those in favor of and those against assisted suicide. This study also aimed at describing the characteristics of terminally-ill individuals who acknowledge contemplating assisted suicide. Forty-four individuals diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis were surveyed about their attitudes and the circumstances that would make them contemplate assisted suicide and filled out standardized measures of mood, stress, social support, coping, and illness status. Seventy percent of the sample found assisted suicide morally acceptable and 60% thought it should be legalized. In addition, 60% of patients agreed they could foresee circumstances that would make them contemplate assisted suicide, but only three (7%) indicated they would have requested it already if it had been legal. Willingness to contemplate assisted suicide was associated with reports of elevated levels of depressive symptoms and reports of hopelessness. Results highlight the need to assess psychological status carefully when terminally ill individuals begin contemplating assisted suicide or voice a request for it.
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Qualitative research is becoming more common in pediatric palliative care and end-of-life care. The present article systematically reviews and summarizes qualitative and survey-based research on pediatric palliative and end-of-life care... more
Qualitative research is becoming more common in pediatric palliative care and end-of-life care. The present article systematically reviews and summarizes qualitative and survey-based research on pediatric palliative and end-of-life care pertaining to the needs of patients and their families. Twenty-one qualitative and survey-based studies published between 2000 and 2010 that met the selection criteria were retrieved from MEDLINE, PsycINFO, and CINAHL. All studies reported on the needs of patients and families receiving pediatric palliative and end-of-life care--from either the patient's, parent's, sibling's, or health care provider's perspective. Findings from these studies were aggregated using a metasummary technique. Findings were extracted and grouped into the following 10 thematic domains pertaining to patient and family needs: interactions with staff, health care delivery and accessibility, information needs, bereavement needs, psychosocial needs, spiritual needs, pain and symptom management, cultural needs, sibling's needs, and decision making. The results of this metasummary highlight the needs of patients and families to be taken into consideration in the creation of high-quality pediatric palliative and end-of-life care services and guidelines.
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... 1 Comprises: Judaism, Sikh, Adventist, Buddhist, Born Again Christian, Orthodox, Taoist, Islam ... psychological suffering and stability over time of the patient's request for euthanasia. ... closely parallels the... more
... 1 Comprises: Judaism, Sikh, Adventist, Buddhist, Born Again Christian, Orthodox, Taoist, Islam ... psychological suffering and stability over time of the patient's request for euthanasia. ... closely parallels the guidelines used in the Netherlands to regulate assisted suicide (see Angell ...
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Confidentiality is one of the cornerstones of research involving human participants. Researchers are the frontline gatekeepers of their participants’ right to confidentiality, and situations can arise that challenge this responsibility.... more
Confidentiality is one of the cornerstones of research involving human participants. Researchers are the frontline
gatekeepers of their participants’ right to confidentiality, and situations can arise that challenge this responsibility.
This is the case when individuals who have shared a common experience (i.e., dyads) are interviewed separately, but
interview results are disseminated within the context of dyads. Based on our experience of conducting research with
dyads and given how little literature is available to serve as guide, we set out to write this article to share the knowledge
we acquired and the solutions we found. We will describe both the ethical challenges and the methodological decisions
involved in conducting qualitative research with dyads. The article also describes different modalities of dyadic analysis,
their benefits and drawbacks. This endeavor seems especially relevant as research with dyads is emerging in several
domains involving couples, families, caregivers and health.
gatekeepers of their participants’ right to confidentiality, and situations can arise that challenge this responsibility.
This is the case when individuals who have shared a common experience (i.e., dyads) are interviewed separately, but
interview results are disseminated within the context of dyads. Based on our experience of conducting research with
dyads and given how little literature is available to serve as guide, we set out to write this article to share the knowledge
we acquired and the solutions we found. We will describe both the ethical challenges and the methodological decisions
involved in conducting qualitative research with dyads. The article also describes different modalities of dyadic analysis,
their benefits and drawbacks. This endeavor seems especially relevant as research with dyads is emerging in several
domains involving couples, families, caregivers and health.
Research Interests:
It can be argued that living altruistic donors should remain anonymous and should not express preferences in the selection of organ recipients. This study aimed to describe the views of transplant physicians in France and Québec regarding... more
It can be argued that living altruistic donors should remain anonymous and should not express preferences in the selection of organ recipients. This study aimed to describe the views of transplant physicians in France and Québec regarding these issues. A total of 27 French and 19 Québec renal transplant physicians took part in individual, semi-directed interviews. Almost all of the physicians agreed that anonymity is mandatory in living altruistic donation (LAD). Regarding the issue of directed donation, most of the French physicians (78%) were opposed to any form of the practice, compared to only a third of their Québec colleagues (32%). We found that these positions were embedded in their respective cultural, legal and social contexts. These results afford a better understanding of these complex issues in two different cultural contexts, and will be useful in the development of international guidelines for LAD.
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Abstract Questionnaires were administered to 234 patients with prostate cancer (142 attended support groups, 92 did not) to determine their sources of emotional, informational, and practical support and the relationship between their... more
Abstract Questionnaires were administered to 234 patients with prostate cancer (142 attended support groups, 92 did not) to determine their sources of emotional, informational, and practical support and the relationship between their satisfaction with this support and ...
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Identity development represents a central task of adolescence. Identity achievement is characterized by a coherent sense of who one is following a period of exploration and can help navigate the challenges of adulthood. This study... more
Identity development represents a central task of adolescence. Identity achievement is characterized by a coherent sense of who one is following a period of exploration and can help navigate the challenges of adulthood. This study examined identity within a quality of life (QOL) context in 85 adolescents with a renal transplant or with Type 1 diabetes in comparison to 90 healthy controls. Results revealed significant differences in ideological identity, with patients showing higher levels of diffusion and controls showing higher levels of foreclosure. No differences with respect to interpersonal identity, QOL, perceived control over the QOL domains, and perceived opportunities for growth and development were found. Future research should assess identity and QOL over a longer period of time to determine whether differences between chronically ill and healthy young adults can be detected.
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Research Interests: Psychology, Health Promotion, Health Care, Health Belief Model, Health, and 19 moreCryopreservation, Human, Humans, Survivors, Male, Care, Data Reduction, Male Infertility, Testicular Cancer, Elaboration Likelihood Model, Theoretical Models, Human reproduction, Adult, Neoplasms, Cancer Survivor, Spermatozoa, Young Men, Gonads, and Health Personnel
Research Interests: Psychology, Surgery, Ethics, Psychometrics, Sex, and 17 moreTreatment, Kidney transplantation, Altruism, Public Health, Comparative Study, Social behavior, Humans, Female, Clinical, Organ Transplantation, Male, Patient Satisfaction, Clinical Sciences, Middle Aged, Adult, Urinary System, and Social Behavior
Living kidney donation is considered common practice across most Westernized countries. While extensive research has documented the experience of living donors, few studies have addressed the perspective of recipients, and even fewer have... more
Living kidney donation is considered common practice across most Westernized countries. While extensive research has documented the experience of living donors, few studies have addressed the perspective of recipients, and even fewer have examined the experience of donor and recipient as an interactive dyad. In this study, our aim was to examine the reciprocal influence between donors and recipients across the transplantation process. We recruited a homogeneous sample of 10 donors and recipients, who were interviewed individually. Data were analyzed using interpretative phenomenological analysis. The presentation of results follows the stages of the transplantation process: the disease experience, the experience of offering and accepting a kidney, the screening period, the surgery, and the post-transplantation period. Results are discussed within the framework of Mauss's gift exchange theory, social roles, and altruism. This comprehensive description of the dyadic experience pro...