Put your hands in mine: a metaphor analysis of family support in death anxiety and interment stress among Filipino older adults

Abstract

The fundamental support that the family provides in nurturing and sustaining the social and developmental needs of an individual across the life span cannot be underestimated. The importance of family support among older adults had been qualitatively and quantitatively investigated since its absence is linked to mental health problems. While global and local initiatives exist to mitigate mental health concerns among older adults, the need to contextualize how older adults collectively view and interpret family support to cope with death anxiety and interment stress remains a research imperative. This arts-based methodology study is an attempt to capture how family support in death anxiety and interment stress is metaphorically viewed by a select group of Filipino older adults (N = 61) aged 60–75 years old, from the biggest island in the Philippines. Using Steger’s three-step metaphor analysis, an object-centered interview facilitated the emergence of The Gear of Family Support model. This model shows three interlocking gears elucidating how family support is characterized by power gears (The Power of Being There, The Power of Rising Above and The Power of Going Beyond). The model is also fueled by the cognitive and affective states of the older adults. These gears and cognitive and affective states extend to practical, financial and emotional support (comforting moves); learning, adaptability and acceptance (edifying moves); and deepening faith and spiritual reconciliation (transcending moves). Implications of this emerged model to geriatrics, gerontological psychology, educational gerontology and developmental psychology are discussed in this paper. The findings of this inquiry may provide significant insights for family advocates and program implementers worldwide to strengthen psycho-social, psycho-education and psycho-spiritual initiatives for the older adults.

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