Walsh, Sandra
(2014)
Salutogenesis 2.0:
An examination of healthy ageing-in-place using a qualitative
application of the Sense of Coherence.
PhD thesis, National University of Ireland Maynooth.
Abstract
The aim of this thesis was to examine the theory of salutogenesis (Antonovsky, 1987;
1996), within the context of later life, and to consider the value of salutogenesis as an
analytical perspective applicable to understanding older people’s health and wellbeing
as they age-in-place. This was done by applying the theory’s analytical construct, the
Sense of Coherence (SOC), qualitatively and using its three components
comprehensibility, manageability and meaningfulness, to make sense of data gathered
from life review interviews. These interviews were conducted with a sample of ‘healthy’
and active older people, aged 75 years and older, living independently in the East and
South-East of Ireland. The results and analysis presented demonstrate the potential value
of the qualitative application of the SOC, and additionally suggest that qualitative
methods are underutilised in salutogenic research. Furthermore, using qualitative
approaches to explore the SOC provides additional scope to incorporate context and
place as central positions of analysis, thereby opening up the theory of salutogenesis
more fully to health geographers. The results of this research contribute to the
geographies of health and ageing literature by providing a detailed exploration of the
theory of salutogenesis as a framework that can contribute to the geographer’s
understanding of the health-place relationship. The thesis also contributes to the
salutogenic literature by examining the SOC through the lens of relational geographies
of health and ageing. What emerges is a complementary dialogue and flow of ideas
between diverse perspectives on health and wellbeing in later life.
| Item Type: |
Thesis
(PhD)
|
| Keywords: |
Salutogenesis 2.0; healthy ageing-in-place; qualitative
application; Sense of Coherence; |
| Academic Unit: |
Faculty of Social Sciences > Geography |
| Item ID: |
6416 |
| Depositing User: |
IR eTheses
|
| Date Deposited: |
29 Sep 2015 13:19 |
| URI: |
|
| Use Licence: |
This item is available under a Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial Share Alike Licence (CC BY-NC-SA). Details of this licence are available
here |
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