Inner Strength as Identified in Narratives of Elderly Women

Abstract

By identifying sources of inner strength, health care personnel can be given valuable information about elderly people's capacities regardless of frailty. The focus of this interview-based study was to explore how inner strength and its dimensions can be identified in narratives of elderly women. The analysis was based on a theoretical model where inner strength is composed of 4 interacting dimensions of connectedness, creativity, firmness, and flexibility. Our findings add nuance to the notion of inner strength and deepen empirical knowledge about the concept.

Inner strength and its relationship to health threats in ageing—A cross‐sectional study among community‐dwelling older women

“…Descriptions of firmness are represented by self‐discipline and self‐esteem and a view of the world as predictable, structured and lawful (Lundman et al., ). Firmness has also been related to setting one's own goals and carrying out what one has started (Boman et al., ). The result may be explained as meaning that with poor physical health, managing everyday tasks can be overwhelming.…”

“…Furthermore, with a failing body, the world does not seem predictable, structured and lawful. Thus, not only self‐esteem and confidence (interpreted as attributes of firmness; see Lundman et al., ) but also the ability to resist and endure and to accept circumstances in life (interpreted as attributes of flexibility; see Lundman et al., and Boman et al., ) may be weakened as bodily changes become more evident (cf. Erikson, ).…”

“…Parallels can be drawn to the theory of gerotranscendence (Tornstam, 2005), implying that ageing may bring new perspectives on life: making more careful choices of social and other activities, having an enlarged need of solitude and developing a feeling of becoming a part of something greater T A B L E 2 Result of robust multiple regression analyses-unstandardized regression coefficients and model statistics for the associations between health threats and inner strength (n = 792) | 2725 (Tornstam, 2005). Thus, it is possible to say that ageing brings about adjustments and that loss of social network in old age in some ways may be compensated for by enhanced development in ageing, experiencing a sense of being alone yet related (see Boman, H€ aggblom, Lundman, Nygren, & Fischer, 2015b). For healthcare personnel to support the older person in development in ageing, adequate knowledge of gerontology and of ageing as a natural phenomenon is thus understood to be of relevance.…”

“…and carrying out what one has started (Boman et al, 2015b). The result may be explained as meaning that with poor physical health, managing everyday tasks can be overwhelming.…”

“…see Lundman et al, 2010 andBoman et al, 2015b) may be weakened as bodily changes become more evident (cf. Erikson, 1997).…”