Older People, Purpose in Life and Meaning in Life - Version 1.0
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Making Sense of Purpose in Life and Meaning in Life in Later Years: Implications for Clinical Practice
IRAS ID
313946
Contact name
Melanie Hodgkinson
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Southampton
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 11 months, 30 days
Research summary
This study looks to explore how older people with depression make sense of meaning in life (MiL) and purpose in life (PiL) in later years; further, it asks how psychological therapy contributes to older people’s understanding of meaning and purpose in life.
Widely recognised is the protective aspect MiL and PiL have for depression (Kim & Choi, 2020) and suicidality (Heisel & Flett, 2014), as well as greatly contributing to a person’s positive wellbeing (Marrow-Howell, 2003). Indeed, Frankl’s (1969) theory positions MiL as preventing despair in individuals, even in the face of challenging life circumstances or mental suffering. With an increasing older adult population, attention is required to understand how these factors confer resilience to mental health problems in later life. These questions therefore have relevance at the individual and societal level.
This project will use qualitative methods to explore the experiences and perceptions of older people with depression. Participants will be recruited from older people community mental health teams (OP-CMHT) within Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust. They will be asked to take part in a single interview at an NHS site local to them or via a video conferencing platform. The interview will last approximately one hour; participants involvement will be approx. four and a half months to account for time for recruitment, arranging the interview and potential follow-up if the participants wish to see a copy of the findings.REC name
Wales REC 4
REC reference
22/WA/0185
Date of REC Opinion
11 Jul 2022
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion