Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Degree

Master of Science

Program

Nursing

Supervisor

Susan Ray

Abstract

The purpose of this research study was to gain an understanding of the lived experience of everyday anxiety among adolescents during high school. An interpretative phenomenological approach as articulated by Merleau-Ponty (1962) and Van Manen (1998) was utilized for this study. A purposive sample of 8 adolescent males and females were interviewed. Data analysis was undertaken throughout the research study by utilizing a thematic analysis of text in which themes emerged to document and understand the lived experience of everyday anxiety among adolescents during high school. The study revealed themes reflective of the lived body in time, space and in relations with others. The three themes were 1. The embodied experience of anxiety with the subthemes of the body responds and the constant running mind of worry and fear; 2. Feeling uncomfortable in the lived space of school with the subthemes of the lived relations of bullying, the internal/external space of isolation, the constant pressure to perform well, and life will get better and; 3. Life at home with the subthemes of the lived space of home and the lived relations of pressure from parents. Conclusions from the study revealed areas of improvement for the healthcare and school systems, implications for nursing education, practice and future research.

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