Department of General Practice and Primary Health Care, Faculty of Medical & Health Science, University of Auckland, PB 92019, Auckland, 1142, New Zealand.
School of Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Health and Environmental Sciences, Auckland University of Technology, Auckland, New Zealand.
Qual Life Res. 2018 Oct;27(10):2647-2652. doi: 10.1007/s11136-018-1909-1. Epub 2018 Jun 12.
Migrants experience challenges settling into a new society, while retaining their cultural and religious values. Concurrently facing an end-of-life illness can result in existential distress affecting quality of dying. This study aimed to explore the lived experience of migrants dying away from their country of birth or origin.
The study design used a phenomenological approach using Heidegger's philosophy to gather and interpret dying migrants' stories. Participants were a purposive sample of New Zealand immigrants experiencing end-of-life illness and under hospice care. Participants were interviewed at home. Coherent stories were drawn from the transcribed interviews and analysed using iterative methods. Interpretive notions were formed through contemplation and writing.
The ten participants, seven males and three females, were of different ethnicities and countries of origin. Three notions emerged. The first was dual possession of a new hybrid identity developed in their adoptive country, and an inner ethnic and cultural identity, in varying degrees of harmony with each other. The second was being in life review-reliving homeland memories and letting go of dreams. The third notion showed how they sought resolution by enacting continuity through their children, hoping for a final homeland visit, or conveying their dying wishes.
How life review was enacted for each migrant and resolution depended on finding some degree of belonging in their country of adoption. Implications for end-of-life care include education to increase practitioner awareness and use of formal and informal life review. Enhancing spiritual well-being can assist resolution of end-of-life adjustment.
移民在融入新社会的过程中会遇到各种挑战，同时他们还要保持自己的文化和宗教价值观。而当他们同时面临生命末期的疾病时，可能会产生影响临终生活质量的存在性困扰。本研究旨在探讨远离出生国或原籍国的移民临终时的生活体验。
本研究采用现象学方法，运用海德格尔的哲学来收集和解释临终移民的故事。参与者是在新西兰接受临终关怀的、患有终末期疾病的移民的有目的抽样。参与者在家中接受采访。从转录的访谈中提取连贯的故事，并使用迭代方法进行分析。通过思考和写作形成解释性概念。
10 名参与者中，有 7 名男性和 3 名女性，他们来自不同的种族和原籍国。有三个概念出现。第一个是在收养国形成的新的混合身份与内在的种族和文化身份的双重占有，彼此之间在不同程度上和谐共存。第二个是在生命回顾中——重温祖国的记忆，放下梦想。第三个概念表明，他们通过自己的孩子来延续生命，希望能最后一次回到祖国，或者传达他们的临终遗愿，以此寻求解决办法。
每个移民的生命回顾和解决办法的方式取决于他们在收养国找到一定程度的归属感。对临终关怀的启示包括教育，以提高从业者的意识，并利用正式和非正式的生命回顾。增强精神幸福感可以帮助解决临终调整问题。
