{"title":"Components of spirituality in older adults: A phenomenological study through interviews based on dignity therapy.","authors":"Kyoko Nagata, Koji Tanaka","doi":"10.1111/scs.13254","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Aim: </strong>A key perspective in examining dignity, which is important for older adults, is spirituality. Therefore, this study aimed to identify the components of spirituality in older adults through interviews based on dignity therapy (DT).</p><p><strong>Methodological design and justification: </strong>Colaizzi's descriptive phenomenology was applied to understand experiences rooted in the life world of older adults from their own perspective.</p><p><strong>Ethical issues and approval: </strong>This study was approved by the ethical review committee of the author's university. All participants provided consent to participate.</p><p><strong>Research methods: </strong>Semi-structured interviews based on DT were conducted with 11 community-dwelling adults aged 65 years or older who were using some form of medical or social services. The interviews were transcribed, and the text was analysed based on Colaizzi's phenomenological method.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Four themes were identified as components of spirituality in older adults: trauma, being silent about hard experiences, forming connections and taking on challenges and discovering one's own spirit. The participants felt a sense of helplessness and frustration as they dealt with traumatic events. Feelings of shame, guilt and/or resignation prevented them from talking about the distress they were experiencing, but they were able to move forward after receiving emotional support and having opportunities to share with others. These processes led to the discovery of a new self.</p><p><strong>Study limitations: </strong>This study assessed the experiences of older adults in Japan and may therefore have been influenced by the social background and culture of Japan. Future research should target older adults from a variety of social backgrounds as well as those with specific health conditions.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>The findings suggest the importance of creating opportunities for healthcare professionals as well as family, friends and community members to help older adults reflect on their lives and talk about their accomplishments and unresolved issues. Doing so should help older adults maintain their dignity while remaining aware of their mortality.</p>","PeriodicalId":48171,"journal":{"name":"Scandinavian Journal of Caring Sciences","volume":" ","pages":"476-486"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9000,"publicationDate":"2024-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Scandinavian Journal of Caring Sciences","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1111/scs.13254","RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"2024/3/7 0:00:00","PubModel":"Epub","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"NURSING","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Aim: A key perspective in examining dignity, which is important for older adults, is spirituality. Therefore, this study aimed to identify the components of spirituality in older adults through interviews based on dignity therapy (DT).
Methodological design and justification: Colaizzi's descriptive phenomenology was applied to understand experiences rooted in the life world of older adults from their own perspective.
Ethical issues and approval: This study was approved by the ethical review committee of the author's university. All participants provided consent to participate.
Research methods: Semi-structured interviews based on DT were conducted with 11 community-dwelling adults aged 65 years or older who were using some form of medical or social services. The interviews were transcribed, and the text was analysed based on Colaizzi's phenomenological method.
Results: Four themes were identified as components of spirituality in older adults: trauma, being silent about hard experiences, forming connections and taking on challenges and discovering one's own spirit. The participants felt a sense of helplessness and frustration as they dealt with traumatic events. Feelings of shame, guilt and/or resignation prevented them from talking about the distress they were experiencing, but they were able to move forward after receiving emotional support and having opportunities to share with others. These processes led to the discovery of a new self.
Study limitations: This study assessed the experiences of older adults in Japan and may therefore have been influenced by the social background and culture of Japan. Future research should target older adults from a variety of social backgrounds as well as those with specific health conditions.
Conclusion: The findings suggest the importance of creating opportunities for healthcare professionals as well as family, friends and community members to help older adults reflect on their lives and talk about their accomplishments and unresolved issues. Doing so should help older adults maintain their dignity while remaining aware of their mortality.
期刊介绍：
Scandinavian Journal of Caring Sciences is an established quarterly, peer reviewed Journal with an outstanding international reputation. As the official publication of the Nordic College of Caring Science, the Journal shares their mission to contribute to the development and advancement of scientific knowledge on caring related to health, well-being, illness and the alleviation of human suffering. The emphasis is on research that has a patient, family and community focus and which promotes an interdisciplinary team approach. Of special interest are scholarly articles addressing and initiating dialogue on theoretical, empirical and methodological concerns related to critical issues. All articles are expected to demonstrate respect for human dignity and accountability to society. In addition to original research the Journal also publishes reviews, meta-syntheses and meta-analyses.
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