A Meaning of Well-Being: From the Experience of Paraplegic

STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective study. PURPOSE: 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. OVERVIEW OF LITERATURE: 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. METHODS: 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. RESULTS: 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. CONCLUSIONS: The study provides information that was used to develop specific rehabilitation program for the paraplegic Pakistani adults to enhance their well-being.