The essential structure of the lived experience of smokers hospitalized on a tobacco-free psychiatric unit

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to explore the lived experience of smokers hospitalized on a tobacco free psychiatric unit through the research methodology of phenomenology. The sample consisted of 3 participants: a 44 year old Caucasian female, a 36 year old Caucasian male, and a 38 year old Caucasian female. Interviews were audiotaped and analyzed using an adaptation of Colaizzi's eight-step procedure. Results included these Theme Categories: The Psychological Experience of Smoking Abstinence; The Physiological Experience of Smoking Abstinence; The Socio-Cultural Experience of Smoking and Its Abstinence; Spiritual Aspects of Smoking; How Do I Deal with Smoking Abstinence?; What about Smoking Cessation?; and Persisting Perceptions of a Tobacco Free Psychiatric Hospitalization. The essential structure of the lived experience of smokers hospitalized on a tobacco free psychiatric unit was formulated from the data.