An Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis of Traumatic Experiences: Clarifying Meaning-making Theory

Christina Gilbert; Peter A Hausdorf; Harjinder Gill

doi:10.29333/ajqr/16244

Christina Gilbert ¹, Peter A Hausdorf ² ^* , Harjinder Gill ²

More Detail

AM J QUALITATIVE RES, Volume 9, Issue 2, pp. 97-117

https://doi.org/10.29333/ajqr/16244

OPEN ACCESS 92 Views 74 Downloads

Download Full Text (PDF)

Abstract

When coping with a stressful event, some individuals attempt to alter the way in which the situation is understood or appraised to manage their negative emotions and promote adjustment. This is a form of coping known as meaning-making. Meaning-making has been discussed extensively in the coping research literature, however, the variability of terminology, theory, and measurement has hindered researchers’ ability to interpret, understand, and apply the concept. To address this issue, six individuals participated in in-depth semi-structured interviews to discuss their experience of using meaning to cope through a stressful event. Interpretive phenomenological analysis (IPA) was used to examine how meaning was used throughout their coping process and how meaning contributed to the outcomes of their experience. Emergent themes were discovered and compared to two dominant meaning-making theories to identify consistencies, discrepancies, and novel findings. An integrated theory of meaning-making is proposed. Theoretical, methodological, and practical implications of the study are discussed.

Keywords: Meaning-making theory, coping, traumatic events, interpretive phenomenological analysis

References

Ano, G. G., & Vasconcelles, E. B. (2005). Religious coping and psychological adjustment to stress: A meta‐analysis. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 61(4), 461-480. https://doi.org/10.1002/jclp.20049
Beutler, L. E., Kimpara, S., Edwards, C. J., Miller, K. D. (2018). Fitting psychotherapy to patient coping style: A meta-analysis. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 74(11), 1980-1995. https://doi.org/10.1002/jclp.22684
Boehmer, S., Luszczynska, A., & Schwarzer, R. (2007). Coping and quality of life after tumor surgery: Personal and social resources promote different domains of quality of life. Anxiety, Stress, & Coping, 20(1), 61-75. https://doi.org/10.1080/10615800701195439
Bonanno, G. A., Wortman, C. B., & Nesse, R. M. (2004). Prospective patterns of resilience and maladjustment during widowhood. Psychology and Aging, 19, 260–271. https://doi.org/10.1037/0882-7974.19.2.260
Captari, L. E., Hook, J. N., Hoyt, W., Davis, D. E., McElroy-Heltzel, S. E., & Worthington, E. L. Jr. (2018). Integrating clients’ religion and spirituality within psychotherapy: A comprehensive meta-analysis. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 74(11), 1938-1951. https://doi.org/10.1002/jclp.22681.
Carver, C. S., Scheier, M. F., & Weintraub, J. K. (1989). Assessing coping strategies: A theoretically based approach. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 56, 267–283. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.56.2.267
Davis, C., Nolen-Hoeksema, S., & Larson, J. (1998). Making sense of loss and benefiting from the experience: Two construals of meaning. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 75, 561–574. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.75.2.561
Davis, C., Wortman, C. B., Lehman, D. R., & Silver, R. (2000). Searching for meaning in loss: Are clinical assumptions correct? Death Studies, 24, 497–540. https://doi.org/10.1080/07481180050121471
Festinger, L. (1957). A theory of cognitive dissonance. Oxford, England: Row, Peterson.
Fitzke, R. E., Marsh, D. R., & Prince, M. A. (2021). A longitudinal investigation of the meaning-making model in midlife adults who have experienced trauma. J. Clin. Psychol. 77, 2878–2893. https://doi.org/10.1002/jclp.23272
Folkman, S. (1997). Positive psychological states and coping with severe stress. Social Science & Medicine, 45(8), 1207-1221. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0277-9536(97)00040-3
Folkman, S. (2008). The case for positive emotions in the stress process. Anxiety, Stress, & Coping, 21(1), 3–14. https://doi.org/10.1080/10615800701740457
Folkman, S., & Moskowitz, J. T. (2000). Positive affect and the other side of coping. American Psychologist, 55(6), 647–654. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.55.6.647
Folkman, S., & Moskowitz, J. T. (2004). Coping: Pitfalls and promise. Annual Review of Psychology, 55, 745–774. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.psych.55.090902.141456
Folkman, S., & Moskowitz, J. T. (2007). Positive affect and meaning-focused coping during significant psychological stress. In The scope of Social Psychology: Theory and applications (pp. 193–208). Psychology Press, New York, NY.
Gan, Y., Guo, M., & Tong, J. (2013). Scale development of meaning-focused coping. Journal of Loss and Trauma, 18(1), 10–26. https://doi.org/10.1080/15325024.2012.678780
Genoe, M. R. (2013). “There is life after diagnosis”: Dementia, leisure, and meaning-focused coping. Recreation and Society in Africa, Asia and Latin America, 4(1), 1–23.
Graham, J., Lobel, M., Glass, P., & Lokshina, I. (2008). Effects of written anger expression in chronic pain patients: Making meaning from pain. Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 31(3), 201–212. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10865-008-9149-4
Gruszczyńska, E., & Knoll, N. (2015). Meaning-focused coping, pain, and affect: A diary study of hospitalized women with rheumatoid arthritis. Quality of Life Research, 24(12), 2873–2883. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11136-015-1031-6
Guo, M., Gan, Y., & Tong, J. (2013). The role of meaning-focused coping in significant loss. Anxiety, Stress & Coping, 26(1), 87–102. DOI: 10.1080/10615806.2011.627507
Heider, F. (1958). The Psychology of interpersonal relations. New York: Wiley.
Helgeson, V. S., Reynolds, K. A., & Tomich, P. L. (2006). A meta-analytic review of benefit finding and growth. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 74, 797-816. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-006X.74.5.797
Holland, J. M., Currier, J. M., & Neimeyer, R. A. (2006). Meaning reconstruction in the first two years of bereavement: The role of sense- making and benefit-finding. Omega: Journal of Death and Dying, 53, 175–191. https://doi.org/10.2190/FKM2-YJTY-F9VV-9XWY
Janoff-Bulman, R. (1992). Shattered assumptions: Towards a new psychology of trauma. New York: Free Press.
Keesee, N. J., Currier, J. M., & Neimeyer, R. A. (2008). Predictors of grief following the death of one’s child: The contribution of finding meaning. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 64, 1145–1163. https://doi.org/10.1002/jclp.20502
Kelley, H. H. (1967). Attribution theory in social psychology. In D. Levine (ed.), Nebraska symposium on motivation (Volume 15, pp. 192-238). Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press.
Lazarus, R. S., & Folkman, S. (1984). Stress, appraisal, and coping. New York: Springer.
Lazarus, R. S., & Folkman, S. (1987). Transactional theory and research on emotions and coping. European Journal of Personality, 1, 141-169. https://doi.org/10.1002/per.2410010304
Moskowitz, J. T., Folkman, S., Collette, L., & Vittinghoff, E. (1996). Coping and mood during AIDS-related caregiving and bereavement. Annals of Behavioral Medicine, 18(1), 49-57. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02903939
Nolen-Hoeksema, S., McBride, A., & Larson, J. (1997). Rumination and psychological distress among bereaved partners. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 72, 855–862. https://doi.org/10.1037//0022-3514.72.4.855
Ortega-Maldonado, A., & Salanova, M. (2018). Psychological capital and performance among undergraduate students: the role of meaning-focused coping and satisfaction. Teaching in Higher Education, 23(3), 390–402. https://doi.org/10.1080/13562517.2017.1391199
Park, C. L. (2010). Making sense of the meaning literature: An integrative review of meaning-making and its effects on adjustment to stressful life events. Psychological Bulletin, 136(2), 257–301. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0018301
Park, C. L., & Ai, A. L. (2006). Meaning-making and growth: New directions for research on survivors of trauma. Journal of Loss and Trauma, 11(5), 389–407. https://doi.org/10.1080/15325020600685295
Park, C. L., Edmondson, D., Fenster, J. R., & Blank, T. O. (2008). Meaning-making and psychological adjustment following cancer: The mediating roles of growth, life meaning, and restored just-world beliefs. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 76(5), 863–875. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0013348
Park, C. L., & Folkman, S. (1997). Meaning in the context of stress and coping. Review of General Psychology, 1(2), 115-144. https://doi.org/10.1037/1089-2680.1.2.115
Park, C. L., Folkman, S., & Bostrom, A. (2001). Appraisals of controllability and coping in caregivers and HIV+ men: Testing the goodness- of-fit hypothesis. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 69, 481–488. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-006X.69.3.481
Park, C. L., & George, L. S. (2013). Assessing meaning and meaning-making in the context of stressful life events: Measurement tools and approaches. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 8(6), 483–504. https://doi.org/10.1080/17439760.2013.830762
Pearlin, L. I. (1991). The study of coping: An overview of problems and directions. In J. Eckenrode (Ed.), The social context of coping (pp. 261–276). New York, NY: Plenum.
Pietkiewicz, I., & Smith, J. A. (2014). A practical guide to using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis in qualitative research psychology. Czasopismo Psychologiczne Psychological Journal, 20(1), 7–14. https://doi.org/10.14691/CPPJ.20.1.7
Riley, K. E., & Park, C. L. (2014). Problem-focused vs. Meaning-focused coping as mediators of the appraisal-adjustment relationship in chronic stressors. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 33(7), 587-611. https://doi.org/10.1177/01461672211068910
Roberts, K. J., Lepore, S. J., & Helgeson, V. S. (2006). Social–cognitive correlates of adjustment to prostate cancer. Psycho-Oncology, 15, 183– 192. https://doi.org/10.1002/pon.934
Roubinov, D. S., Turner, A. P., & Williams, R. M. (2015). Coping among individuals with Multiple Sclerosis: Evaluating a Goodness-of-Fit Model. Rehabilitation Psychology, 60(2), 162–168. https://doi.org/10.1037/rep0000032
Schwarzer, R., & Knoll, N. (2007). Functional roles of social support within the stress and coping process: A theoretical and empirical overview. International Journal of Psychology, 42(4), 243-252. https://doi.org/10.1080/00207590701396641
Sonenshein, S., & Dholakia, U. (2012). Explaining employee engagement with strategic change implementation: A meaning-making approach. Organization Science, 23(1), 1–23. https://doi.org/10.1287/orsc.1110.0651
Smith, J. A., Flowers, P., & Larkin, M. (2009). Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis: Theory, method and research. United Kingdom: SAGE Publications.
Stroebe, M., & Schut, H. (1999). The dual process model of coping with bereavement: Rationale and description. Death Studies, 23(3), 197-224. https://doi.org/10.1080/074811899201046
Swift, J. K., Callahan, J. L., Cooper, M., & Parkin, S. R. (2018). The impact of accommodating client preference in psychotherapy: A meta-analysis. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 74(11), 1924-1937. https://doi.org/10.1002/jclp.22680.
Taylor, S. E. (1983). Adjustment to threatening events: A theory of cognitive adaptation. American Psychologist, 38(11), 1161-1173. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.38.11.1161
Tong, A., Sainsbury, P., & Craig, J. (2007). Consolidated criteria for reporting qualitative research (COREQ): a 32-item checklist for interviews and focus groups. International Journal for Quality in Health Care, 19(6), 349-357. https://doi.org/10.1093/intqhc/mzm042
Thoits, P. A. (1995). Stress, coping, and social support processes: Where are we? What next? Journal of Health and Social Behavior, (Extra Issue), 53–79. https://doi.org/10.2307/2626957
Yang, Z., Ji, L. J., Yang, Y., Wang, Y., Zhu, L., & Cai, H. (2021). Meaning making helps cope with COVID-19: A longitudinal study. Personality and Individual Differences, 174, 110670. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2021.110670
Yardley, L. (2000). Dilemmas in qualitative health research. Psychology and Health, 15(2), 215-228. https://doi.org/10.1080/08870440008400302

Citation

Gilbert, C., Hausdorf, P. A., & Gill, H. (2025). An Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis of Traumatic Experiences: Clarifying Meaning-making Theory. American Journal of Qualitative Research, 9(2), 97-117. https://doi.org/10.29333/ajqr/16244

Gilbert, C., Hausdorf, P. A., and Gill, H. (2025). An Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis of Traumatic Experiences: Clarifying Meaning-making Theory. American Journal of Qualitative Research, 9(2), pp. 97-117. https://doi.org/10.29333/ajqr/16244

Gilbert C, Hausdorf PA, Gill H. An Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis of Traumatic Experiences: Clarifying Meaning-making Theory. AM J QUALITATIVE RES. 2025;9(2), 97-117. https://doi.org/10.29333/ajqr/16244

Gilbert, Christina, Peter A Hausdorf, and Harjinder Gill. "An Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis of Traumatic Experiences: Clarifying Meaning-making Theory". American Journal of Qualitative Research 2025 9 no. 2 (2025): 97-117. https://doi.org/10.29333/ajqr/16244

Gilbert, Christina et al. "An Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis of Traumatic Experiences: Clarifying Meaning-making Theory". American Journal of Qualitative Research, vol. 9, no. 2, 2025, pp. 97-117. https://doi.org/10.29333/ajqr/16244

Gilbert C, Hausdorf PA, Gill H. An Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis of Traumatic Experiences: Clarifying Meaning-making Theory. AM J QUALITATIVE RES. 2025;9(2):97-117. https://doi.org/10.29333/ajqr/16244