Article

Progressive neurological disorders require continual adaptation.
People who maintain a better psychological balance in the face of the disease are
those who find meaning in their experience. The ability to find a positive
meaning in having multiple sclerosis (MS) is more common in people who are at the
beginning of their disease or those who have few functional limitations
(Pakenham, 2008). This qualitative study examines the process of meaning-making
by people who are moderately to severely affected by MS. METHODS: Eight
participants told the story of their experiences in individual semi-structured
interviews. The verbatim transcripts were subjected to phenomenological analysis.
RESULTS: The results allowed the identification of the essential elements that
shape the experience of meaning-making. The adaptation happens in two main areas:
(1) limiting the impact of specific symptoms, and (2) investing in activities
that combine meaningful relationships and the feeling of being useful. Meaning is
developed in the search for a new existential balance that reconciles creative
tensions, particularly in the oscillation between letting go and determination.
The process of meaning-making is distributed along a continuum of strategies that
allows one to act as if nothing had happened, act within the limits of the
disease, act despite the disease, act in new ways because of the disease, or act
thanks to the disease. CONCLUSIONS: Understanding the process of meaning-making
while adjusting to MS can allow the identification of possible interventions to
better accompany people who are most severely affected by MS in their adaptation
to the disease.
CI - Copyright (c) 2014 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Langue : FRANCAIS