Qualitative research on the sources of meaning in life in community elderly people

Abstract

Objective To investigate the sources of meaning in life of the elderly in the community. Methods The phenomenological approach was conducted in Guangzhou Yuexiu Liurong community health service center and Shouxing nursing home in Baiyun District, a total of 21 elderly were interviewed by semi-structured in-depth interviews. Interviews data were analyzed by Nvivo11. Results The elderly in the community were less concerned about the meaning in life. The level of meaning in life ranges from nothing to high, and some elderly had not explored it yet. Sources of meaning in life for elderly were quite different from when he was young: one valued work, earn money and self-improvement more when young, but as the growth of age, one would pay more attention to family and health. The sources of meaning in life included suffering, autonomy, family, make contributions and faith. Conclusion In the future, the sense of meaning in life of the elderly can be enhanced from the perspective of individuals, families and society by identifying the sources of meaning of the elderly. Key words: Elderly; Meaning in life; Positive psychology; Qualitative research

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