Tip Merle, Braam Arjan, Van Der Vaart Wander
Department of Humanist Chaplaincy Studies for a Plural Society, University of Humanistic Studies, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
Florence Houthaghe Nursing Home, The Hague, The Netherlands.
J Adv Nurs. 2025 May;81(5):2546-2557. doi: 10.1111/jan.16488. Epub 2024 Sep 28.
To examine whether and how older nursing home residents recognise characteristics of gerotranscendence, and to contribute to a critical and comprehensive view of gerotranscendence in this particular group.
Gerotranscendence is a psychosocial, spiritual development theory within the field of positive ageing that represents: a shift in meta-perspective, from a materialistic and rational vision to a cosmic and transcendent life perspective, followed by an increase in life satisfaction.
A qualitative study using a narrative hermeneutical approach.
Participants were 20 residents of a nursing home in the Netherlands, aged 77 to 105 (mean age: 90). The semi-structured interviews, conducted in April 2023, were based on Tornstam's 10-item Gerotranscendence Scale. Special attention was paid to the technique of interviewing these frail, older adults, some of them diagnosed with dementia.
All respondents recognised several characteristics of gerotranscendence, or signs of it emerged from the research data. There is a larger middle group with respondents who call themselves 'down-to-earth'. They mainly recognise the relational characteristics. Another group appears to be more contemplative and shows more affinity with the abstract, cosmic characteristics. They have developed a gerotranscendent wisdom: there is insight, contextualism and relativism, peace of mind, room for life's paradoxes, a high degree of (self-)acceptance and an ability to 'let go'. The data show considerable heterogeneity in thoughts, perspectives and degrees of gerotranscendence.
Respondents found some questions difficult to answer, resulting in a critical assessment of how to understand the responses given. This puts pressure on data quality for this current study and for critical gerotranscendence research in general. Furthermore, interviewing older nursing home residents requires a custom setting and possibly a new interview methodology.
This report adheres to the standards for reporting qualitative research (SRQR).
No patient or public contribution.
探讨老年养老院居民是否以及如何认识超越老年的特征，并为全面批判性地看待这一特定群体中的超越老年现象提供参考。
超越老年是积极老龄化领域的一种社会心理、精神发展理论，它代表着：元视角的转变，从物质主义和理性视角转向宇宙和超越的生活视角，进而生活满意度提高。
采用叙事诠释学方法的定性研究。
参与者为荷兰一家养老院的20名居民，年龄在77岁至105岁之间（平均年龄：90岁）。2023年4月进行的半结构化访谈基于托恩斯塔姆的10项超越老年量表。特别关注了采访这些体弱老年人的技巧，其中一些人被诊断患有痴呆症。
所有受访者都认识到超越老年的几个特征，或者研究数据中出现了相关迹象。有一个较大的中间群体，受访者称自己“脚踏实地”。他们主要认识到关系特征。另一组似乎更善于沉思，对抽象的、宇宙的特征表现出更多的亲近感。他们已经形成了一种超越老年的智慧：有洞察力、情境主义和相对主义、内心平静、容纳生活矛盾的空间、高度的（自我）接纳以及“放手”的能力。数据显示，在思想、观点和超越老年的程度方面存在相当大的异质性。
受访者发现一些问题难以回答，这导致对如何理解所给出的回答进行批判性评估。这给本研究以及一般的批判性超越老年研究的数据质量带来了压力。此外，采访老年养老院居民需要特定的环境设置，可能还需要新的访谈方法。
本报告遵循定性研究报告标准（SRQR）。
无患者或公众贡献。
