Department of Psychology, University of Portsmouth, Portsmouth, United Kingdom.
PLoS One. 2023 Oct 19;18(10):e0293110. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0293110. eCollection 2023.
This study addresses the paucity of research concerning the subjective experiences of those affected by anosmia. In the study, we interviewed individuals(n = 11) recruited via the charity (Fifth Sense) and used Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) to analyse the data. Findings revealed three main themes and seven sub themes. The main themes are Living with Anosmia; Remembrance of things old and new and Resilience. The study reveals the process of becoming aware of being anosmic and the relationships with others in this process including potentially unhelpful minimisations of the impact by professionals. In addition to a sense of isolation and insecurity, living with anosmia for some participants brought with it an identification of being 'anosmic' and feeling part of a community. This was in contrast to a general lack of public knowledge and understanding of anosmia. The findings of the study demonstrated the importance of smell to time, place and relationship and the recalling of smells as bringing a sense of connectivity to loved ones, of times past and also a sense of loss of ability. Participants also described the ways in which they coped and adapted to a life with anosmia and focused on positive aspects of life. These findings provide a rich qualitative account of the experience of anosmia. The findings point towards future research which could inform us about the lives of those who are anosmic and currently unaware and of those recently diagnosed, which will create a richer understanding of the experiences of anosmia.
这项研究探讨了缺乏对嗅觉丧失者主观体验的研究。在研究中，我们通过慈善机构（第五感）招募了 11 名个体（n=11），并使用解释现象学分析（IPA）对数据进行分析。研究结果揭示了三个主要主题和七个子主题。主要主题包括：嗅觉丧失的生活；新旧事物的记忆和韧性。研究揭示了意识到自己嗅觉丧失的过程，以及在此过程中与他人的关系，包括专业人士可能无益的最小化影响。除了孤立和不安全的感觉，对一些参与者来说，嗅觉丧失带来了对“嗅觉丧失”的认同，并感到自己是一个社区的一部分。这与公众对嗅觉丧失的普遍缺乏了解和认识形成了鲜明对比。研究结果表明，嗅觉对时间、地点和人际关系的重要性，以及回忆气味可以给亲人带来一种联系感，带来对过去时光的回忆，也带来一种能力丧失的感觉。参与者还描述了他们应对和适应嗅觉丧失生活的方式，并关注生活中的积极方面。这些发现提供了对嗅觉丧失体验的丰富定性描述。研究结果表明，未来的研究可以让我们了解那些嗅觉丧失但尚未意识到的人、那些最近被诊断出嗅觉丧失的人的生活，这将使我们更深入地了解嗅觉丧失的体验。
