Hur orkar man i det svåraste? : Copingprocesser hos sjukhussjälavårdare i möte med existentiell problematik : en religionspsykologisk studie

Sammanfattning: The dissertation focuses on a problem area with existential aspects regarding stress, religion and health. The objective is to study how the hospital chaplains handle existential confrontation in their daily work. The study includes Pargament's coping theory supplemented with Scandinavian research in psychology of religion around existential questions.It is a qualitative study of Swedish hospital chaplains, with the empirical material consisting of interviews based on a life story approach. This is the first study of its kind in Sweden focused on this group of professionals.Various types of stress/stressors were identified, namely: physiological, psychological, social, ethical and material. An existential dimension was identified within stress. This dimension appeared in combination with the other types of stress. When several types of stress appeared together and when the existential dimension was activated it was named multi-phased stress with an existential dimension. A life orientation comprising a religious and a profane orientation proved to be vigorous in the way the hospital chaplain dealt with direct and indirect multiphased stress with an existential dimension. Hospital chaplains applied a great number of coping methods in order to deal with the work-related stress. Among those there were several important forms of support and opportunities for marking boundaries. Daily routines contribute to the boundry-marking process.