Mapping family and social space in caring : a metamethod study

• Social relations are about how we treat each other. They imply explicit and tacit knowledge, rules of behaviour, and values inherent in specific social spaces. When a family is struck by a life-threatening illness, the individual’s ‘‘life space’’ tends to shrink. This impacts the mutual relationships in the family, as well as the situation in the home. Therefore, there are obvious dialectics between spatial and social dimensions, when close relatives are afflicted by serious illness. This paper explores how research on homecare involves space in analysing social issues.Meta-method analysis was chosen, in order to extend the review format and analyse meta-questions. Meta-synthesis in different research areas and fora involved the examina- tion of a set of qualitative studies. Material was collected using the Cinahl, PubMed and Academic Search data- bases. These were supplemented by the Social Science Index, Sociological Abstract and Science Direct, to explore if aspects of care and space are treated in social science. The sample consisted of 38 articles, displaying a wide variety of methods. Findings suggest that in the fields of caring and sociological research, spatial factors are only implicitly described, and the dynamics of the social and spatial dialectics in home caring relationships seem to be rare. The concept of space in caring is found in a few studies in human geography. The observed absence of a spatial perspective in caring is problematic, since it neglects the fact that relationship and caring are situated in context.

Subject headings

MEDICIN OCH HÄLSOVETENSKAP  -- Hälsovetenskap -- Omvårdnad (hsv//swe)

MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES  -- Health Sciences -- Nursing (hsv//eng)

Keyword

Social medicine

Socialmedicin

Caring sciences

Vårdvetenskap

Publication and Content Type

ref (subject category)

kon (subject category)