Shaw, R., Gullifer, J., & Wood, KCharles Sturt University

Religion and spirituality predict psychological well-being in older adults

Lawler-Row, K., & Elliott, J. (2009)

Difficulty defining religion and spirituality

Aim to older adults perspectives about what these terms mean and about the role they had played in their lives

Participants Eight participants aged between 65 and 87

years M = 76.25; SD = 7.63 From rural NSWPseudonym Gende

rAge Denomination

James Male 87 Christian

Barbara Female 67 Christian

John Male 76 Christian

Robert Male 65 Christian

Rita Female 74 Christian (not practicing)

Harvey Male 80 Christian

Nancy Female 77 Catholic

Jean Female 84 Catholic (not practicing)

Procedure Semi-structured interviews

Between 60 to 90 minutes Three key areas

defining religion and spirituality the role of religion and spirituality in their lives,

and whether this role had changed over time

Transcripts returned to participants for comment and checking

Thematic analysis Braun and Clarke (2006)

Acknowledgement of researcher’s influence on data collection and analysis Interpretation reflects researchers’

understanding of participants’ experience

Three manifest themes Defining religion and spirituality Spiritual development Being older but not feeling older

And one latent theme Faith

James I can read a chapter of Matthew’s gospel and I

believe that, but that is not spirituality to me, that is religion.

Spirituality is when you absorb all that and you’re life becomes part of it. It’s not something external anymore, it is inbuilt in your thinking, and it’s very hard to remove.

Spirituality doesn’t mean much to me, it is part of me. Do you see a difference between religion and spirituality?

Barbara religion to me is something that you live

with, you carry with you. You work with it, you work out of it, and it works out of you. Religion to me is trying to understand people and situations

Spirituality is getting in touch with yourself and then with others

Yes, you can be religious without being spiritual

Rita that’s a hard one, isn’t it? Spirituality…I

guess it’s believing in a certain being but still…I don’t know, I can’t really put that in words, that’s a hard one

I think it’s an entirely personal thing

Encapsulates how religion and spirituality have developed over time

And, the role they play in participants lives

Common among narratives is the establishment of a religious structure early in life

Participants perceive that they have a lot more to learn and a lot more growing and maturing to do

Spiritual development a journey with no arrival point Another step towards emotional fulfilment

Theme offers insight into how far participants have evolved and developed along their journey

They said ‘Barbara, we’d like to pray for you, what do you want us to pray for?’ I said, ‘I want you to pray that whatever happens, God will grant me the grace to accept it.’ […] that’s a learning curve, because I knew a few years back I would never have been able to ask for that prayer, I would have been, ‘well you pray for this!’ and rant, rant, rant. Ranting and raving! (Barbara)

Spiritual turning points Spirituality can help create meaning

and understanding of one’s life Process of developing understanding

through spirituality a gradual journey that takes place over time Thomas and Cohen (2006)

It’s just been a journey, yeah. It’s not without its difficulties and stresses and problems and challenges, but I think that toughens you up and solidifies your sense of security in God (Robert)

  As I say, it’s been a fairly constant,

working through it […] and it’s been a, sort of gradual process rather than anything abrupt (Harvey)

The participants acknowledged that spiritual development was a slow process

Also a realisation that it is a journey that may never end:

That’s all part and parcel of my spiritual walk. I don’t think, no matter how much I throw my heart into that, would I ever get to the point of being arrived, you know. I would never feel that this side of eternity (Robert)

Journey never ends because we continue to experience events

We then re-evaluate meaning applied to earlier events in light of new experiences

Re-evaluation leads to continued growth and development MacKinlay (2001)

Religion provides the introduction to spirituality

Religion can be changed but spirituality cannot

Religion means really I am a Christian I would say, but tomorrow I could meet a Muslim or a Hindu who can talk me out of Christianity and make me religious in their religion […] but you can’t do that with spirituality because that is within oneself. Nobody can talk you out of it (James)

Although, Nancy cannot see the point of changing religion:I thought, “well why would you change one religion that has a lot of don’ts to go to another one that has don’ts” and I couldn’t see the sense in that. That’s why I stay a Catholic. I suppose deep down I am, that early grounding, but I can’t see the point in changing from one to the other. In that, it’s God, there is the one God and that’s how it is. And you don’t need to chop and change I don’t think, if you believe in that (Nancy)

Spiritual journey begins with an introduction to religion Shapes the way spirituality develops

Tisdell (2008) I say I don’t believe it, but I do pray (Jean)  What do you think that praying does

for you? (Interviewer)  I don’t know, well I suppose, it sort of soothes

you a bit at a time when you need that (Jean)

Seeking guidance and direction through prayer

I would like to be a better person, definitely, but I often pray for it, especially when I feel very envious of people who perhaps who say they’re born again Christians and they seem to have something that I don’t have, and I…not supposed to envy people, it’s a sin…I feel as though I would like to be like that (Nancy)

We were brought up, a bit rough and ready, and when you go somewhere and you think, ‘oh they do it different because I’d be just over the table, grab what you want, and they said, ‘no you don’t do that, you just, look, go like that’ (demonstrates). I went through the stage as you do, always comparing yourself to someone, ‘oh I’d like to be like them, I want to be like them‘ but that’s not what God wants you to be like, he wants you to be like what he wants you to be like, and I think I started really growing when I got to the reality of Jesus (Barbara)

To that extent, I suppose, it’s developed more since I’ve retired than early on (Harvey)

More time to spend on spiritual development

Participants do not feel old Sense of comfort in, and satisfaction

with, their own identity Sense of stability in life It (spirituality) makes the older life stable. You don’t sort

of chop and change and stuff, you are stable and you are less vulnerable to circumstances […] and you are not going to be unsettled because of an outer experience. As you grow older you are more stable, due to your spirituality. That’s how it is (James)

I like this age, because you, it’s not often that you think about what you’re going to say and then you know, well I’m going to say it! And as I say to my family, ‘Don’t be caught dead without Jesus! Don’t leave earth without him!’ Now I wouldn’t have said that say, 10, 15 years ago, because I knew that I would start World War 3! So I don’t care if I start World War 3, you’re going to be told! (Barbara)

I’m at a stage now of just taking it easy! (laugh) And enjoying my, you know, my autumn years! (Robert)

Younger and older adults construct lives differently Carstensen & Mikels, 2005

Time perceived as expansive for younger adults Time to plan future goals

Limited for older adults Attention may move to more emotionally meaningful

aspects of life Religion and spirituality emotionally meaningful

When I was working I, wouldn’t have spent as much time on bible reading and that kind of study, so I can do now (Harvey)

I do think that age has a lot to do with it, but as I said before, I think also because as you get older you oft times have more time and so you can take the time to think and to ponder where you’re going (Nancy)

Losses associated with ageing I know my limitations, and I understand

them, and I just keep looking forward to what am I going to learn (Barbara)

Age just another part of life but has implications

Age is only a matter of the mind! (laugh) Or the body, I should say! (Rita)

In myself I don’t feel old, I feel a young person, but of course, the old body tells me differently. Yes, obviously I’m getting older, I can’t see things quite as well as I used to see them, things like that (John)

I suppose when you realise that your physical limitations are becoming more obvious, you just got to accommodate accordingly, and slow down a bit […] towards the end of last year I was working and feeling as though I was 40, you know. And, and when my shoulder gave out on me, I was like, you’re 65 you know! Slow down! (Robert)

Participants were comfortable discussing age but also death and dying

I’m ready to go, when I’m called, you know (John)

I have a greater sense, yeah, I’m looking forward to going home to the Lord. You know, I’d like to be in heaven right now, but I know that I have children here and I want to see them through until they get married, you know what I mean? (Robert)

What happens when I die is a mystery, and will remain so until that happens but, I’m fairly contented enough I think of coping when that happens (Harvey)

Our church believes in reincarnation, not coming back as another person, but the soul coming back, being there with God, and all this sort of thing and I guess, I believe that’s what will happen (Nancy)

Rita who no longer practices religion seems to express an element of control over her own death

Those two deaths, and my father’s in between and my sister-in-law’s in between, all sort of brought home the mortality of people. I decided then and there well, nothing, I wasn’t going to die of cancer or anything else at that stage (Rita)

Experience of death may prepare a person for death

Or, death may not be considered undesirable if a person has lived a full and satisfying life

For the participants in this study it was considered a natural part of life

Religion and spirituality integrated throughout all aspects of life

Begins with an introduction to religion and grows as spirituality develops

where does faith come from? Faith comes from him, and I think it’s being religious (Barbara)

Faith is about the trust participants have placed in their religion and spirituality

Trust that God will care for them Why worry about money or anything like that, or

provisions, when he promises to provide if you put him first? (Robert)

I had a nervous breakdown there at one stage and this took me back to the church […] I did get some spiritual guidance and comfort from the minister who was there and we attended church (John)

You don’t think about it, you don’t try and think about it because…it’s just there! (Nancy)

Faith in religion and spirituality is also reflective of the belief that there is purpose and meaning to life

For living at this age, if I had no religion, life would be meaningless to me (James)

In that relationship with God I’m given, through what I believe has been written in the holy scriptures, is a sense of hope and a purpose for the future […] that gives me some sense of identity, a security, a sense of peace and well-being (Robert)

What’s it mean to me? I guess it covers the whole purpose of life (Harvey)

Like spirituality participants found faith difficult to define

It’s a feeling, and how do you explain a feeling? (Nancy)

Themes integrate to provide an overview of the role religion and spirituality play in the lives of these participants

Early introduction to religion has enhanced the development of spirituality

Focus on spiritual development appears to have lead to feelings of satisfaction and enjoyment in older age They do not feel old and do not fear death

Faith allows them to understand that they will be cared for in life and in death

For these participants, religion and spirituality appear to be a way of life, not just a part of life

THANK YOU!