School of Psychology, Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences, University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland, Australia.
School of Business, Faculty of Business, Economics and Law, University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland, Australia.
Clin Gerontol. 2022 Jan-Feb;45(1):172-188. doi: 10.1080/07317115.2021.1933291. Epub 2021 Jun 8.
The aim of the current study was to investigate meaning-making in 57 older predominantly female adults ( = 72.68) required to temporarily cease attending a university-affiliated integrated care clinic in Australia with a focus on exercise and well-being due to COVID-19 restrictions, specifically regarding consequential grief, loss, hopelessness, and loss of purpose.
Quantitative and qualitative data were collected by telephone interviews and an online survey.
Results indicated that most participants valued attending the Clinic, and experienced a number of physical, social and emotional benefits from attending, including a sense of meaning. Specifically, some participants developed social connections, learned to cope more effectively with mental health conditions, and regained strength following stressful or traumatic events through their attendance at the clinic.
Throughout the pandemic, most participants retained their resilience and continued to derive meaning from various sources, including their families, careers, interests, and attitude toward life.
Older adults may experience enhanced physical, emotional and social health from engaging in community-based programs focused on exercise and overall wellness. Furthermore, meaning-making has the potential to buffer the harmful effects of stress and traumatic events on the physical, emotional and social health of older adults.
本研究旨在调查 57 名主要为女性的老年人（年龄中位数为 72.68 岁）的意义建构，这些老年人因 COVID-19 限制而暂时无法前往澳大利亚一所大学附属的综合护理诊所参加锻炼和促进健康的活动，原因是这些限制涉及到悲伤、失落、绝望和丧失目标等后果。
通过电话访谈和在线调查收集定量和定性数据。
结果表明，大多数参与者重视参加该诊所，并且从参加活动中获得了许多身体、社会和情感上的益处，包括意义感。具体来说，一些参与者通过参加诊所建立了社会联系，学会了更有效地应对心理健康问题，并在经历压力或创伤性事件后恢复了体力。
在整个大流行期间，大多数参与者保持了韧性，并继续从家庭、职业、兴趣和生活态度等各种来源中获得意义。
参与以锻炼和整体健康为重点的社区项目可能会提高老年人的身体、情感和社会健康。此外，意义建构有可能减轻压力和创伤性事件对老年人身体、情感和社会健康的有害影响。
