Table 1
Socio-demographic characteristics of participants.
| Interview number | Gender | Age, years | Education | Marital status | Work status | Religiousness/ Spirituality | Volunteering example(s) in family | Overall volunteering experience, years | Experience in AVO, years | Hospital volunteering setting | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| I 1 | F | 72 | Secondary school | Married | Retired | Practising Christian | No | 45 | 9 | Medical department | |
| I 2 | M | 55 | Middle school | Married | Retired | Non-practising Christian | No | 4 | 4 | Surgical and paediatric care departments | |
| I 3 | F | 68 | Secondary school | Widowed | Retired | Practising Christian | No | 20 | 12.5 | Medical department | |
| I 4 | F | 54 | Middle school | Married | Housekeeper | Non-practising Christian | No | 14 | 14 | Emergency and surgical departments | |
| I 5 | M | 49 | Secondary school | Single | Worker | Non-practising Christian | No | 22 | 18 | Medical and oncologic departments | |
| I 6 | F | 67 | Middle school | Married | Retired | Practising Christian | No | 7 | 6.5 | Medical and oncologic departments | |
| I 7 | F | 44 | Degree | Single | Office worker | Practising Christian | No | 5 | 1.5 | Medical department | |
| I 8 | M | 29 | Degree | Single | Estate agent | Agnostic | No | 3 | 3 | Long-term facilities | |
| I 9 | F | 23 | Secondary school | Single | Educator | Practising Christian | Yes (mother and uncle) | 4 | 3.5 | Spinal unit | |
| I 10 | F | 54 | Middle school | Divorced | Office worker | Non-practising Christian | Yes (father) | 8 | 2 | Surgical and paediatric departments | |
| I 11 | M | 29 | Secondary school | Single | Office worker | Atheist | No | 2.5 | 2.5 | Emergency department |
[i] Abbreviations: AVO, Hospital Volunteer Association; F, Female; I1, Interview n. 1; M, Male.
Figure 1
Themes, categories and codes as emerged from narratives.