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Experience of Middle‐ and Old‐Aged Women's Aging
Author(s) -
Chung Seung Eun
Publication year - 2002
Publication title -
nursing and health sciences
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.563
H-Index - 47
eISSN - 1442-2018
pISSN - 1441-0745
DOI - 10.1046/j.1442-2018.2002.01140_24.x
Subject(s) - gerontology , psychology , successful aging , middle age , perspective (graphical) , meaning (existential) , qualitative research , interpretative phenomenological analysis , healthy aging , developmental psychology , medicine , psychotherapist , sociology , social science , artificial intelligence , computer science
Many studies on aging have explored the effects of disease and other problems on the elderly. These studies have resulted in a view of aging that focuses on losses. How aging is perceived may affect the adaptation of the elderly to life changes. Therefore, there needs to be a better understanding of aging from the perspective of the middle‐aged and older‐aged adults. This qualitative study used a hermeneutic phenomenological approach to discover meaning in the aging experience. The purpose of this study was to explore the experience of middle‐aged and older‐aged women. Participants consisted of 10 women (five middle‐aged women and five older‐aged women) aged 40 years or more who lived in Chongiu. Multiple strategies for data collecting were utilized including an in‐depth face‐to‐face interview and an analysis of the literature on aging, based on Van Manen's methodology of phenomenological research. The following themes emerged: (i) middle‐aged women: changing of physical shape, the attachment of youth, loss of self‐confidence, and preparing for one's own old age; (ii) old‐aged women: changing of physical function, being ousted from the younger generation, rhythmical pattern of life and death, and reflection on life.