a Elder Service Research Center, School of Sociology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan , China.
b School of Social Work , Michigan State University , East Lansing , MI , USA.
Aging Ment Health. 2019 Sep;23(9):1086-1094. doi: 10.1080/13607863.2019.1612322. Epub 2019 May 13.
Responding to the growing needs of the largest aging population in the world, China has been experimenting interventions introduced from other countries to serve its older citizens. Using the life review approach, this study aimed to understand stress and coping experiences of a group of rural older adults living in public welfare housing, and to identify the effect of life review on their perceptions of quality of life. This study used an experimental research design with qualitative interviews. Analyses mainly focused on qualitative interview data of participants in the experimental group (n=24). Quantitative analyses were conducted to compare changes in the measure of quality of life between the experimental group and the control group (n=22). Qualitative analyses indicated that salient life course stressors among rural Chinese old adults included financial strains, health concerns, and loss of loved ones. Such stressors were intertwined with historical and social changes they experienced in China. Coping strategies developed to survive a harsh young adulthood were used to deal with aging challenges and adaption to the welfare housing. Quantitative analysis found those who went through life review reported significant improvement in perceived quality of life compared to the control group. Life review showed preliminary acceptability and effectiveness among the most disadvantaged and marginalized older group in China. It suggests this approach can be adapted to help understand life experience of older adults from different socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds, and to bring about positive changes in their wellbeing.
为满足全球最大老年人群体不断增长的需求，中国一直在尝试引入其他国家的干预措施，为其老年公民提供服务。本研究采用生活回顾方法，旨在了解居住在公共福利住房中的一群农村老年人的压力和应对经验，并确定生活回顾对他们生活质量认知的影响。本研究采用实验性研究设计，结合定性访谈。分析主要集中在实验组（n=24）参与者的定性访谈数据上。还进行了定量分析，以比较实验组和对照组（n=22）生活质量衡量标准的变化。定性分析表明，中国农村老年人的主要生活轨迹压力源包括经济拮据、健康问题和失去亲人。这些压力源与他们在中国经历的历史和社会变革交织在一起。为了在残酷的青年时代生存而发展起来的应对策略被用来应对老龄化挑战和适应福利住房。定量分析发现，与对照组相比，经历过生活回顾的人报告说他们的生活质量感知有了显著改善。生活回顾在中国最弱势和边缘化的老年群体中表现出初步的可接受性和有效性。这表明，这种方法可以适应不同社会经济和文化背景的老年人的生活经历，为他们的福祉带来积极的变化。
