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An examination of resilience and coping in the oldest old using life narrative method
- Authors:
- BROWNE-YUNG Kathryn, WALKER Ruth B., LUSZCZ Mary A.
- Journal article citation:
- Gerontologist, 57(2), 2017, pp.282-291.
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
This study aimed to identify aspects of late-life resilience and sense of self-identity and locate them within a life narrative to provide insights into methods of coping with the challenges of aging. To do this, in-depth interviews were conducted with 20 oldest-old adults (aged 88–98 years) recruited from the Australian Longitudinal Study of Ageing. Design, analysis, and interpretation of the study were informed by McAdams’ life narrative theory, using concepts of redemption and contamination. Participants discussed their autobiographies and recounted significant life events. Interviews drew on McAdams’ approach to elicit positive, negative, vivid, and turning point experiences. Analysis involved coding transcripts of the emergent personal narratives specifically to understand a “resilience story.” This included data immersion and review of interview transcripts. Emergent codes were identified and discussed among the researchers. Although no contamination events were narrated, the authors identified the following themes: Adapting to ageing-related physical challenges; Changing social networks; Continuity in sense of identity to maintain unity and life’s purpose; and Redemptive capacity to cope positively with life challenges. This study fills a gap in knowledge on resilience from a personal perspective by the oldest old. Older people may benefit from interventions that harness positive coping strategies and foster social connections and meaningful activities, especially at times of loss or grief. (Edited publisher abstract)
A gendered lifecourse examination of sleep difficulties among older women
- Authors:
- WALKER Ruth B., et al
- Journal article citation:
- Ageing and Society, 32(2), February 2012, pp.219-238.
- Publisher:
- Cambridge University Press
This article takes a gendered lifecourse approach to explore the high prevalence of sleep difficulties in older women, and to understand the sociological underpinnings of why sleep disorders disproportionately affect older women. In-depth interviews were conducted with 12 community-dwelling women aged 80 years and over who currently experienced sleep difficulties. The participants were encouraged to share their personal experience of factors which have impacted on their sleep and were asked to describe how they responded to their sleep disturbance. Five themes emerged from the analysis: significant life stages; contingent lives; daily concerns in relation to ageing; attitudes and responses of women and general practitioners; and stigma and sleeping pills. For all women, sleep difficulties were not related to physical aspects such as pain or discomfort, but were largely shaped by demands associated with family relationships at different times in the lifecourse. The findings suggest that responses by women themselves, and health professionals, reflect a sense of stigma around sleep difficulties and use of sleeping pills. The article concludes that more emphasis on the social contextual explanations underpinning sleep difficulties might lead to better prevention and treatment of such problems, and increase quality of life.