Health for people with a terminal diagnosis.

A naturalistic study was designed to investigate how people with terminal diseases describe health. Three domains emerged. The mental/emotional domain included hope, love, and control. The spiritual domain contained belief in a higher power, recognition of mortality, and self-actualization. The physical domain consisted of health promotion activities, feeling good, and relationship with a physician. This investigation suggested many similarities with Newman's model. One area of agreement was in the informants' belief that their disease was a part of their health. The emergence of the disease pattern allowed health to unfold. Many informants believed they became healthier because of their diagnoses.