Being alone after late-life divorce: freedom and loneliness from an intergenerational familial/dyadic perspective.
Aging Ment Health
; : 1-9, 2024 Jul 11.
Article
en En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-38990123
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES:
To examine in-depth experiences of loneliness and freedom after late-life divorce from an intergenerational familial/dyadic perspective in a family-oriented society that also values self-determination. Considering the expansion of late-life divorce, it is important to understand its consequences for the family wellbeing.METHOD:
According to phenomenology tradition, data was collected through 51 semi-structured qualitative interviews, comprised from 7 family units (n = 33) including all/most family members and 9 parent-child dyads (n = 18), using thematic-analysis and dyadic interview-analysis principles. Analyzing family units enables a more complex examination of the phenomena, providing a holistic view of family life.RESULTS:
Loneliness and freedom experienced simultaneously was the most common. A gap was identified between generations regarding benefits and costs of late-life divorce. Whereas most divorcees emphasized the benefits of freedom, most of their adult-children mainly described the disadvantages of loneliness, perceiving both loneliness and freedom as negative.CONCLUSION:
Late-life divorce is a complex experience comprised of both loneliness and freedom. Each generation experiences the benefits and costs of late-life divorce differently. Unique aspects of freedom and loneliness at old age in a socio-cultural context located between self-determination and family-oriented are discussed, including strategies of coping with loneliness. Implications for families and professionals are presented.
Texto completo:
1
Colección:
01-internacional
Base de datos:
MEDLINE
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Aging Ment Health
Asunto de la revista:
GERIATRIA
/
PSICOLOGIA
Año:
2024
Tipo del documento:
Article
País de afiliación:
Israel
Pais de publicación:
Reino Unido