RESUMO
With particular focus on availability of family care, research on relationships in later life have often emphasized dynamics inside homes and connections with direct family members. However, a growing number of scholars recognize changes in family practices and the prominence of different types of non-kin ties that are as important as family to older people. Connidis has proposed a sociological approach to capture the realities of personal relationship in later life. Informed by Connidis' approach, we apply qualitative lenses to study social capital in analyzing 40 semi-structured interviews conducted with Chilean people aged 60-74 years. We used a thematic analysis to examine the circumstances under which older people mobilize help through different types of kin and non-kin ties as bonding or bridging social capital. Though literature on social capital describes friends and family members as bonding ties, our findings indicate that they play a double role as bonding and bridging social capital in their own unique way, depending on circumstances. Friends, in comparison to family ties, bridge the older person with a variety of worldviews and lifestyles, helping them to advance their wellbeing in the face of life transitions and challenges experienced with aging. Study participants associated seeking help from others with notions of material and physical dependency, laziness, and a commitment to return help. The preference to seek different types of support from a variety of relationships can be interpreted as a way to manage ambivalence within a larger socio-cultural context.
Assuntos
Capital Social , Idoso , Chile , Família , Amigos , Humanos , Apego ao Objeto , Apoio SocialRESUMO
This study uses an interpretive narrative approach to compare and contrast assumptions regarding social integration (participation in meaningful and multiple roles, and engagement in social networks) as promoted in the Chilean Comprehensive Policy for Positive Aging, with the expectations of interviewees aged 60 to 74 years. The Policy assumes specific forms of social integration by: offering different options of social integration to dependent vs. independent older people, encouraging autonomy and self-management, and assuming the primacy of family responsibility in older people's care. Both the Policy and the interviewees emphasize the value of autonomy and independence in old age; the latter, however, do not place family at the frontline when care is needed. Understanding the matches and gaps between policy assumptions and older people's expectations for social integration, including the role of family caregiving, can open new possibilities to prevent social isolation and promote different forms of social support that are valued by older adults for their emotional and practical benefit.
Assuntos
Envelhecimento , Política Pública , Idoso , Humanos , Relações Interpessoais , Integração Social , Apoio SocialRESUMO
BACKGROUND: The WHOQOL-BREF is a generic questionnaire to measure quality of life created by the Study Group on Quality of Life of the World Health Organization. AIM: To adapt and evaluate the psychometric properties of the Spanish version of the WHOQOL-BREF instrument in a group of Chilean older subjects living in Metropolitan Santiago. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A linguistic-cultural adaptation of the Spanish version of the WHOQOL-BREF was performed and tested in a pilot study. Subsequently, the modified scale was applied to a group of 1186 older women aged 72 ± 8 years and 334 men aged 72 ± 7 years. The psychometric properties such as internal consistency, item-total correlation of responses, and construct validity were evaluated. A confirmatory factor analysis was done to check if the dimensions described in the original version, were evaluated. Analyses were performed with STA-TA statistical software 10.0 and LISREL 8.50. RESULTS: Confirmatory factor analysis confirmed that the dimensions physical health, psychological, social relationships and environment, described by the authors in their original description, were maintained. The instrument had a good internal consistency with a Cronbach alpha of 0.88 for the total scale and ranging from 0.70 to 0.79 in each of the dimensions. CONCLUSIONS: The evaluated version of the WHOQOL-BREF has an acceptable reliability and validity, and suggests that it is suitable for the assessment of Quality of Life in elderly people in Chile.
Assuntos
Qualidade de Vida/psicologia , Inquéritos e Questionários , Idoso , Chile , Características Culturais , Feminino , Humanos , Idioma , Masculino , Reprodutibilidade dos Testes , Fatores Socioeconômicos , TraduçõesRESUMO
Background: The WHOQOL-BREF is a generic questionnaire to measure quality of life created by the Study Group on Quality of Life of the World Health Organization. Aim: To adapt and evaluate the psychometric properties of the Spanish version of the WHOQOL-BREF instrument in a group of Chilean older subjects living in Metropolitan Santiago. Material and Methods: A linguistic-cultural adaptation of the Spanish version of the WHOQOL-BREF was performed and tested in a pilot study. Subsequently, the modified scale was applied to a group of 1186 older women aged 72 ± 8 years and 334 men aged 72 ± 7 years. The psychometric properties such as internal consistency, item-total correlation of responses, and construct validity were evaluated. A confirmatory factor analysis was done to check if the dimensions described in the original version, were evaluated. Analyses were performed with STA-TA statistical software 10.0 and LISREL 8.50. Results: Confirmatory factor analysis confirmed that the dimensionsphysical health, psychological, social relationships and environment, described by the authors in their original description, were maintained. The instrument had a good internal consistency with a Cronbach alpha of 0.88 for the total scale and rangingfrom 0.70 to 0.79 in each of the dimensions. Conclusions: The evaluated version of the WHOQOL-BREF has an acceptable reliability and validity, and suggests that it is suitable for the assessment of Quality of Life in elderly people in Chile.