A meaning of well-being: from the experience of paraplegic.

Abstract

Retrospective study. The goal of care for paraplegic people is the enhancement of their "well-being". However, despite the frequent use of the term "well-being", its definition remains unclear and there is little information in the literature concerning the paraplegic's own perspective. The study was conducted to explore the Pakistani paraplegia's perspective of well-being. Studies have shown that paraplegia changes not only physical and psychological, but also socioeconomic, states, which have significant impact on an individual's "subjective well-being", however there is no clear definition of well-being and the methods of measuring the phenomena. Fifty paraplegic adults from different rehabilitation centers of Pakistan participated in an in-depth interview using natural inquiry method. The interviews were audio-taped, transcribed, and analyzed. Three commonly used meanings of well-being and eight components were identified and included in the definition. The results indicated that the meaning of well-being is an individual's perception, which includes both objective and subjective values and experiences. The study provides information that was used to develop specific rehabilitation program for the paraplegic Pakistani adults to enhance their well-being.