“No matter how much I was admired by others or by myself, there was still much more I had to face. “My Polio” and “My Accident” were not just my past; they were part of my present and my future” (Zola, 1982, p.84).
There are 53.9 million Americans with a disability (Jans & Stoddard, 1999); 28.6 million are women and their numbers are increasing (Gerschick, 2000). The increase is partly due to a longer lifespan for persons with disabilities, which is most pronounced among those aging with a disability since childhood (Campbell & Barras, 1999; Campbell, Sheets & Strong, 1999). For example, the average life span has increased for the nearly 700,000 with cerebral palsy and the almost 1 million polio survivors (Campbell, 1998). Regretfully, their increased life span has been accompanied by health and social problems (Campbell; Harrison & Stuifbergen, 2001).
Women with disabilities experience high rates of poverty, negative stereotypes, high rates of institutionalization (G. Frank, 2000) and increased secondary conditions and co-morbidities with aging (Harrison & Stuifbergen, 2001). These problems are costly to the individual, the family and society. The health risks associated with aging with a disability have prompted the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to include the removal of health disparities amongst people with disabilities as one of its 2010 goals, which follows the goal to remove the disparities associated with gender (U.S. DHHS, 2000).
The research available on aging and disability in women has focused primarily upon aging as a process of biological decline. There is little understanding of the
Table of Contents
1. CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION
1.1 STUDY PURPOSE
1.2 BACKGROUND
1.3 SENSITIZING FRAMEWORK
1.4 DEFINITIONS
1.5 ASSUMPTIONS
1.6 SIGNIFICANCE TO NURSING
1.7 RESEARCH QUESTIONS:
2. CHAPTER 2: REVIEW OF LITERATURE
2.1 THE MEANING OF AGING
2.2 STUDIES OF AGING WOMEN: LIFE COURSE PERSPECTIVES
2.3 STUDIES OF AGING WITH DISABILITY
2.4 AGING WITH POLIO/POST POLIO
2.5 RESEARCH SURROUNDING WOMEN WITH DISABILITIES
2.5.1 Lives in Time and Place
2.5.2 Human Agency
2.5.3 The Timing of Lives
2.5.4 Linked Lives
2.6 SUMMARY
3. CHAPTER 3: METHODS
3.1 RESEARCH DESIGN
3.2 METHODOLOGY
3.3 METHODS
3.3.1 Participant Selection Strategies
3.3.2 Sample Selection
3.3.3 Sample Size
3.3.4 Recruitment
3.3.5 Protection of Human Subjects
3.3.6 Data Management Strategies
3.3.6.1 Modes of Data Collection
3.3.6.1.1 Interview Questions
3.3.6.1.2 Demographics
3.3.6.1.3 Life Course Review Table
3.3.6.1.4 Field Notes
3.3.6.2 Modes of Data Analysis
3.3.6.2.1 Data Organization
3.3.6.2.2 Data Analysis
3.3.6.2.3 Bias Control
Study Objectives and Research Focus
This dissertation proposal aims to investigate the lived experience of aging for women who survived paralytic polio in childhood. By applying a hermeneutic phenomenological approach within a life course paradigm, the research seeks to understand how these women interpret changes associated with entering later adulthood (ages 55 to 65) and how their gender influences these perceptions and subsequent adjustments.
- Exploring the meanings women with childhood-onset disabilities associate with aging.
- Analyzing individual strategies for adjusting to age-related changes.
- Examining the impact of gender on the experience of aging and life adjustment.
- Utilizing life course narratives to inform nursing praxis and improve clinical care.
Excerpt from the Book
Study Purpose
The purpose of this study is to explore the meaning of aging for women with childhood onset disabilities. A hermeneutic phenomenological approach will be used to guide this interview study of a group of women who survived paralytic polio in childhood and are aging into late adulthood. Due to the varied cultural and societal experiences throughout the history of the United States for women of varied ethnicities, Anglo, Latino and African American women will all be interviewed for their experiences of aging with childhood onset disabilities. Moreover, because perceptions of gender influence awareness of the body and social status, gender will be explored as an influence on perceptions of age related changes and subsequent adjustment.
The specific aim is to produce a life course description of the meaning of aging developed from the experience of living with a disability since childhood in a cohort of women age 55 to 65 who survived paralytic polio. Specifically, the researcher will: Explore the meaning of the changes women with childhood onset disabilities associate with aging as they enter into later adulthood—ages 55 to 65. Explore how women with childhood onset disabilities adjust to the changes they associate with aging. Explore how the women’s gender impacts their experience of aging and subsequent adjustment.
Summary of Chapters
CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION: This chapter establishes the research problem regarding the aging of polio survivors and outlines the study's purpose, framework, and guiding research questions.
CHAPTER 2: REVIEW OF LITERATURE: This section reviews existing literature on the meaning of aging, life course perspectives of women, and the specific experiences of aging with disabilities and post-polio syndrome.
CHAPTER 3: METHODS: This chapter details the hermeneutic phenomenological research design, participant selection, data collection, and analysis strategies employed to address the study's research questions.
Keywords
Aging, Women with Disabilities, Childhood Onset Disability, Paralytic Polio, Post Polio Syndrome, Life Course Paradigm, Hermeneutic Phenomenology, Gender, Social Role, Disability Trajectory, Quality of Life, Nursing Praxis, Rehabilitation, Identity, Qualitative Research.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary focus of this research?
The work focuses on understanding the meaning of aging for women who have lived with the effects of paralytic polio since childhood and are now entering later adulthood.
What are the central thematic areas?
Key areas include the interpretation of aging-related changes, the influence of childhood-onset disability on life trajectories, and the intersection of gender and disability in the aging process.
What is the main research question?
The guiding question is: What is the meaning of aging for women who have lived with the effects of paralytic polio since before age 12 and are now entering later adulthood?
Which scientific methods are employed?
The study utilizes a qualitative research design based on hermeneutic phenomenology, incorporating in-depth interviews, field notes, and life course review charts.
What is addressed in the main body of the work?
The main body covers the theoretical framework, a comprehensive review of literature regarding aging and disability, and the methodology developed to analyze the personal narratives of the participants.
Which keywords characterize this study?
Key terms include aging, women with disabilities, paralytic polio, Post Polio Syndrome, life course paradigm, and hermeneutic phenomenology.
Why is a hermeneutic phenomenological approach used?
This approach allows the researcher to capture the "lived experience" of the participants and interpret the intent and impact of aging through the participants' own stories.
How does this study contribute to nursing praxis?
It provides healthcare providers with a deeper understanding of the life course of women with disabilities, enabling more tailored and culturally appropriate clinical interventions and policy considerations.
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- Faith Kamau (Autor:in), 2009, Aging Among Women with Disabilities, München, GRIN Verlag, https://www.hausarbeiten.de/document/265571
