Research suggests that spirituality is important to a large percentage of the older adult population and serves as a promoter of healthy aging. In this qualitative research I conducted and analyzed multiple interviews with 6 women aged 80 and older. Using multiple in-depth interviews I explored the interplay between spirituality and resilience over the life course. A grounded theory analysis of the 30 interviews was performed. The major finding is that participants used their spirituality as a tool to promote and maintain resilience in later life. I present the results as an interpretation of the participants’ perceptions of their spirituality, and indicate their reliance on spirituality to overcome hardship over the life course. In addition, I discuss the connections between spirituality and resilience. The roles these two constructs play in the lives of older adults are considered.
ArdeltM.AiA. L.EichenbergerS. E. (2008). In search for meaning: The differential role of religion for the middle-aged and older persons diagnosed with a life threatening illness. Journal of Religion, Spirituality & Aging, 20(4), 288-312. doi:10.1080/15528030802232353
2.
ArringtonE. G.WilsonM. N. (2000). A re-examination of risk and resilience during adolescence: Incorporating culture and diversity. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 9(2), 221-230. doi:10.1023/A:1009423106045
3.
AtchleyR. C. (2009). Spirituality and aging. Baltimore, MD: John Hopkins University Press.
4.
BliesznerR.RamseyL. (2003). Uncovering spiritual resiliency through feminist qualitative methods. In McFaddenS.BrennanM.PatrickJ. (Eds.), New directions of late life religiousness and spirituality (pp. 31-50). New York: Hawthorne Press.
5.
ClarkP.BurbankP.GreeneG.OwensN.RiebeD. (2010). What do we know about resilience in older adults? An exploration of some facts, factors, and facets. In ResnickB.GwytherL.RobertoK. (Eds.), Resilience in aging: Concepts, research (pp. 51-66). New York: Springer.
6.
CorbinJ.StraussA. (1990). Grounded theory research: Procedures, canons, and evaluative criteria. Qualitative Sociology, 13(1), 3-21. doi:10.1007/BF00988593
7.
DenzinN. K.LincolnY. S. (2005). Introduction: The discipline and practice of qualitative research. In DenzinN. K.LincolnY. S. (Eds.), Handbook of qualitative research (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA, Sage.
8.
FaiginC.PargamentK. (2010). Strengthened by spirit: Religion, spirituality, and resilience through adulthood and aging. In ResnickB.GwytherL.RobertoK. (Eds.), Resilience in aging: Concepts, research (pp. 163-180). New York: Springer.
GeorgeL. K.EllisonC. G.LarsonD. B. (2002). Explaining the relationships between religious involvement and health. Psychological Inquiry, 13(3), 190-200. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/1449328
11.
GlaserB. G.StraussA. L. (1967). The discovery of grounded theory: Strategies for qualitative research. Chicago: Aldine.
12.
GreeneR. R. (2002). Holocaust survivors: A study in resilience. Journal of Gerontological Social Work, 37(1), 3-18.
13.
HildonZ.SmithG.NetuveliG.BlaneD. (2008). Understanding adversity and resilience at older ages. Sociology of Health & Illness, 30(5), 726-740. doi:10.1111/j.1467-9566.2008.01087.x
14.
IdlerE. L. (1987). Religious involvement and the health of the elderly: Some hypotheses and an initial test. Social Forces, 66, 226-228. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/2578909
15.
KinselB. (2005). Resilience as adaptation in older women. Journal of Women & Aging, 17(3), 23-39. doi:10.1300/J074v17n03_03
16.
KoenigH. G. (2002). An 83 year-old woman with chronic illness and strong religion beliefs. Journal of the American Medical Association, 288(4), 487-493. doi:10.1001/jama.288.20.2541
17.
LincolnY.GubaE. (1985). Naturalistic inquiry. Beverly Hills, CA: Sage.
18.
MacKinlayE .(2006). Spiritual care in the fourth age of life. London: Anthecum Press.
19.
MaluccioA. (2002). Resilience: A many-splendored construct?American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 72(4), 596-599. doi:10.1037/0002-9432.72.4.596
20.
MastenA. S. (2001). Ordinary magic: Resilience processes in development. American Psychologist, 56(3), 227-238. doi:10.1037/0003-066X.56.3.227
21.
McFaddenS. H. (2005). Points of connection: Gerontology and the psychology of religion. In PaloutzianR.ParkC. (Eds.), Handbook of the psychology of religion and spirituality. New York: Guilford Press.
22.
MobergD. (2005). Research in spirituality, religion, and aging. Journal of Gerontological Social Work, 45(1/2), 11-40. doi:10.1300/J083v45n01_02
23.
PargamentK. T.CummingsJ. (2010). Anchored by faith: Religion as a resilience factor. In ReichJ. W.ZautraA. J.HallJ. S. (Eds.), Handbook of adult resilience (pp. 193-210). New York: Guilford Press.
24.
RamseyJ. L.BliesznerR. (1999). Spiritual resiliency in older women: Models of strength for challenges through the life span. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
25.
ReichJ. W.ZautraA.HallJ. S. (2010). Handbook of adult resilience. New York: Guilford Press.
26.
ResnickB.GwytherL.RobertoK. (Eds.). (2010). Resilience in aging: Concepts, research. New York: Springer.
27.
SchwarzL.CottrellR. P. F. (2007). The value of spirituality as perceived by elders in long-term care. Physical & Occupational Therapy in Geriatrics, 26(1), 43-62. doi:10.1300/J148v26n01_04
28.
SeeryM. D. (2011). Resilience: A silver lining to experiencing adverse life events?Current Directions in Psychological Science, 20(6), 390-394. doi:10.1177/0963721411424740
29.
StraussA. L.CorbinJ. (1997). Grounded theory in practice. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
30.
WotherspoonC. M. (2000). The relationship between spiritual well-being and health in later life. In ThorsonJ. A. (Ed.), Perspectives on spiritual well-being and aging (pp. 69-83). Springfield, IL: Charles C, Thomas.
31.
ZautraA.HallJ.MurrayK. (2010). Resilience: A new definition of health for people and communities (3-34). In ReichJ. W.ZautraA.HallJ. S. (Eds.), Handbook of adult resilience. New York: Guilford Press.
32.
ZralyM.NyirazinyoyeL. (2010). Don’t let the suffering make you fade away: An ethnographic study of resilience among survivors of genocide-rape in southern Rwanda. Social Science & Medicine, 70(10), 1656-1664. doi:10.1016/j.socscimed.2010.01.017
