Aging, Spirituality, and Time: A Qualitative Study

We examined the concepts of aging, time, spirituality, and future care needs in four randomly selected informants from a group of 54 never-married childless older women. Using data from the Generativity and Lifestyles of Older Women (GLOW) study, we questioned how women's perceptions of these c...

Full description

Saved in:  
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of religion, spirituality & aging
Subtitles:Families and Religion/Spirituality as They Cope With Stressors
Authors: Black, Helen K. 1952- (Author) ; Hannum, Susan M. (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
Check availability: HBZ Gateway
Journals Online & Print:
Drawer...
Fernleihe:Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste
Published: Routledge [2015]
In: Journal of religion, spirituality & aging
Further subjects:B spirituality qualitative research
B Time
B ageing / Aging
Online Access: Presumably Free Access
Volltext (Verlag)
Description
Summary:We examined the concepts of aging, time, spirituality, and future care needs in four randomly selected informants from a group of 54 never-married childless older women. Using data from the Generativity and Lifestyles of Older Women (GLOW) study, we questioned how women's perceptions of these concepts came together in current older age. We employed cultural theory, (our theoretical framework), ethnography, (our methodological framework), and phenomenology, (our philosophical foundation) to produce a portrait of each woman interviewed. Through a three-session interview process, we elicited the women's life stories, reasons for childlessness, and topics that emerged as significant to the women, including aging, a sense of time remaining, and spirituality. A key finding was that the context of each woman's life, both biographical and historical, transpired as a foundation for these concepts. That is, a woman's “place in time” shaped their experiences of aging, as well as her reasons for childlessness and perceptions of finitude.
ISSN:1552-8049
Contains:Enthalten in: Journal of religion, spirituality & aging
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1080/15528030.2014.1003274