Lorenza Garrino

Narratives of gratitude: experiences and reflections

Introduction

Narratives of gratitude: experiences and reflections. Explore nursing students' gratitude experiences & reflections in healthcare. Qualitative analysis of narratives reveals themes of trust, growth, & well-being.

Abstract

Introduction. The choice to offer nursing students a space for reflection about gratitude and cure is at the core of teaching activity focused on examining a little explored feeling that of-ten characterizes the relationship between patients and operators in places of healthca-re. Gratitude is meant as a positive response we get when we give or receive a benefit from someone. This paper aims to analyze the influence of gratitude and appreciation in settings of care and also to increase awareness for the well-being that is generated by the feeling of gratitude.Methods and tools. During the elective (ADE) held in February, March 2024 at the Nursing Degree Program in Turin, two meetings were held with 39 participants. During this ADE, participants were asked to write a story about an episode in which they felt gratitude for or experi-ence gratitude from another person. The narratives had been analyzed according to the qualitative content analysis methodology.Results. Thirty-eight narrative stories were examined. The analysis allowed us to identify some recurring themes, and the meanings traced back to the following categories: Trust and Bonds, Recognition and Appreciation, Human and Professional Growth, Gratitude as a Generator of Well-being. Reflections on the theme of gratitude present essential and common elements among students even if the context in which the episodes of gratitude are placed changes. Many students wrote about events that happened during their internship, others focus on experiences related to family and friendship contexts.Conclusions. From the stories, it emerges that the benefits of gratitude expressed by the students increase, in their perception, positive emotions, self-confidence, and confidence in their work, as well as about their own undertaking academic choices. Exercising gratitude in a conscious way helps to reflect on the personal and professional reality that students experience and contributes to strengthening positive feelings.

Review

This paper, "Narratives of gratitude: experiences and reflections," embarks on a pertinent exploration of gratitude within the formative experiences of nursing students. The authors rightly identify gratitude as an often-overlooked yet crucial emotion in the patient-operator relationship, and commendably create a dedicated space for reflection on this feeling. By aiming to analyze its influence in care settings and its capacity to foster well-being, the study addresses a highly relevant aspect of professional development and emotional intelligence in future healthcare providers, laying groundwork for understanding a positive psychological dimension in nursing practice. The methodology involved collecting narrative stories from 39 participants during an elective course at a Nursing Degree Program in Turin, with 38 narratives analyzed using qualitative content analysis. While this approach is appropriate for delving into subjective experiences, the abstract would benefit from greater detail regarding the specific qualitative methodology used, including how themes were derived and measures taken for methodological rigor. The study's focus on a single institution and a relatively small sample size from an elective course raises questions about the generalizability of the findings and potential selection bias, as participants might be pre-inclined towards the topic of gratitude. Furthermore, the term "cure" in the introduction could be clarified, perhaps distinguishing it from "care" to ensure precise contextualization. Despite these methodological points, the findings present valuable insights, identifying recurring themes such as Trust and Bonds, Recognition and Appreciation, Human and Professional Growth, and Gratitude as a Generator of Well-being. The conclusions suggest that conscious gratitude can significantly enhance students' positive emotions, self-confidence, and conviction in their academic and professional choices, emphasizing its role in personal and professional growth. This study serves as a meaningful preliminary investigation into the benefits of gratitude for nursing students, offering a foundation upon which future research with broader samples, diverse contexts, and more explicit methodological frameworks could build to further strengthen and expand upon these compelling observations.

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