A Study on the Experience of Depression in Elderly Women Living Alone

Mi-Ra Won; Kwang Ja Lee

doi:10.12934/jkpmhn.2016.25.3.195

Journal List > J Korean Acad Psychiatr Ment Health Nurs > v.25(3) > 1058076

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Won and Lee: A Study on the Experience of Depression in Elderly Women Living Alone

Original Article

Journal of Korean Academy of Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing 2016; 25(3): 195-206.

Published online: 30 September 2016

DOI: https://doi.org/10.12934/jkpmhn.2016.25.3.195

A Study on the Experience of Depression in Elderly Women Living Alone

Mi-Ra Won¹, Kwang Ja Lee²

¹Department of Nursing, Daewon University, Jecheon, Korea.

²College of Nursing, Ewha Womans University, Seoul, Korea.

Corresponding author: Won, Mi-Ra. Daewon University College, 316 Daehak-ro, Jecheon 27135, Korea. Tel: +82-43-649-3289, Fax: +82-43-649-3689, happysgmr@mail.daewon.ac.kr

Received 22 July 2016 Revised 17 August 2016 Accepted 22 August 2016

(open-access):

This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/) which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Abstract

Purpose

This study was done to explore the experience process for depression in elderly women living alone.

Methods

Data was analyzed using Strauss and Corbin's Grounded theory. The twelve participants were elderly women living alone, aged 65 to 80 years.

Results

From the participants' statements, 116 concepts, 43 sub-categories and 16 categories were extracted by an open coding process. Core category was 'wandering in a waste land'. The experience process leading to depression in elderly women living alone had 4 phases: loss, emptiness, struggle and response.

Conclusion

The findings in this study on the experience of depression in elderly women living alone can be used for evidence in a detailed assessment, early detection and prevention of depression in elderly women living alone.

Keywords: Aged, Women, Depression, Grounded theory

Figures and Tables

Figure 1

Paradigm model of experience of elderly women living-alone with depression.

Figure 2

Process of experience of elderly women living-alone with depression.

Notes

This article is a revision of the first author's doctoral thesis from Ewha Womans University.

^{CONFLICTS OF INTEREST} The authors declared no conflicts of interest.

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