{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,11,2]],"date-time":"2025-11-02T07:32:06Z","timestamp":1762068726244,"version":"build-2065373602"},"reference-count":52,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"10","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2022,9,21]],"date-time":"2022-09-21T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1663718400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"national funds through FCT\u2014Funda\u00e7\u00e3o para a Ci\u00eancia e Tecnologia, I.P.","award":["UIDB\/05704\/2020","UIDP\/05704\/2020","CEECINST\/00051\/2018"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["UIDB\/05704\/2020","UIDP\/05704\/2020","CEECINST\/00051\/2018"]}]},{"name":"Scientific Employment Stimulus-Institutional","award":["UIDB\/05704\/2020","UIDP\/05704\/2020","CEECINST\/00051\/2018"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["UIDB\/05704\/2020","UIDP\/05704\/2020","CEECINST\/00051\/2018"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Healthcare"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Vulnerability is associated with the individual\u2019s social and biological conditions, but also the conditions of their enveloping environment and society, leading to terms such as vulnerable populations or risk groups. This study aimed to give a voice to people with experiences of vulnerability and explore their perspectives, using a descriptive qualitative design. Purportedly vulnerable adults were recruited and interviewed with semi-structured questions on vulnerability. Data were organized, using WebQDA software, and submitted to thematic content analysis, as proposed by Clark and Braun, which generated a thematic tree. The study included six men and six women with a mean age of 43.8 [SD = 14.17] years old. Thematic analysis generated three themes: (1) Conceptions about vulnerability, (2) Barriers imposed by vulnerability, and (3) Strategies for dealing with vulnerability. The results highlight that vulnerability is a highly dynamic process of openness to circumstances that influence individual outcomes. However, there is a lack of conceptual clarity. Although being vulnerable is perceived as something negative, we need to transform the social mindset, because vulnerability also has the potential to change priorities in life for the better.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/healthcare10101819","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2022,9,22]],"date-time":"2022-09-22T01:47:06Z","timestamp":1663811226000},"page":"1819","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":2,"title":["Vulnerability through the Eyes of People Attended by a Portuguese Community-Based Association: A Thematic Analysis"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"10","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-1080-9535","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Carlos","family":"Laranjeira","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Health Sciences, Polytechnic of Leiria, Campus 2, Morro do Lena, Alto do Vieiro, Apartado 4137, 2411-901 Leiria, Portugal"},{"name":"Centre for Innovative Care and Health Technology (ciTechCare), Polytechnic of Leiria, Campus 5, Rua de Santo Andr\u00e9\u201466\u201368, 2410-541 Leiria, Portugal"},{"name":"Research in Education and Community Intervention (RECI I&D), Piaget Institute, 3515-776 Viseu, Portugal"}]},{"given":"In\u00eas","family":"Pia\u00e7a","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Health Sciences, Polytechnic of Leiria, Campus 2, Morro do Lena, Alto do Vieiro, Apartado 4137, 2411-901 Leiria, Portugal"}]},{"given":"Henrique","family":"Vinagre","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Health Sciences, Polytechnic of Leiria, Campus 2, Morro do Lena, Alto do Vieiro, Apartado 4137, 2411-901 Leiria, Portugal"}]},{"given":"Ana Rita","family":"Vaz","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Health Sciences, Polytechnic of Leiria, Campus 2, Morro do Lena, Alto do Vieiro, Apartado 4137, 2411-901 Leiria, Portugal"}]},{"given":"Sofia","family":"Ferreira","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Health Sciences, Polytechnic of Leiria, Campus 2, Morro do Lena, Alto do Vieiro, Apartado 4137, 2411-901 Leiria, Portugal"}]},{"given":"Lisete","family":"Cordeiro","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"InPulsar (Associa\u00e7\u00e3o para o Desenvolvimento Comunit\u00e1rio), Rua Jos\u00e9 Gon\u00e7alves LT 55\u2014LJ 3 PISO-1, 2410-121 Leiria, Portugal"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-5021-773X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Ana","family":"Querido","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Health Sciences, Polytechnic of Leiria, Campus 2, Morro do Lena, Alto do Vieiro, Apartado 4137, 2411-901 Leiria, Portugal"},{"name":"Centre for Innovative Care and Health Technology (ciTechCare), Polytechnic of Leiria, Campus 5, Rua de Santo Andr\u00e9\u201466\u201368, 2410-541 Leiria, Portugal"},{"name":"Center for Health Technology and Services Research (CINTESIS), NursID, University of Porto, 4200-450 Porto, Portugal"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2022,9,21]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"327","DOI":"10.1080\/13691457.2018.1508001","article-title":"The contested concept of vulnerability\u2013A literature review","volume":"23","author":"Virokannas","year":"2018","journal-title":"Eur. 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