“I am growing, but I don’t give up”: Spiritual experiences of older adults in Ghana

Religion and spirituality are considered to be helpful resources during late adulthood where declines and losses are presumably pronounced. In Ghana, religion and spirituality are integral aspects of everyday life. The purpose of the study was to explore and understand how older adults experience an...

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Bibliographic Details
Authors: Aglozo, Eric Y. (Author) ; Akotia, Charity Sylvia (Author) ; Osei-Tutu, Annabella (Author) ; Andoh-Arthur, Johnny (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
Check availability: HBZ Gateway
Interlibrary Loan:Interlibrary Loan for the Fachinformationsdienste (Specialized Information Services in Germany)
Published: 2025
In: Archive for the psychology of religion
Year: 2025, Volume: 47, Issue: 2, Pages: 171-189
Further subjects:B Spirituality
B Well-being
B Religion
B Coping
B gerontology / aging
B Meaning
Online Access: Volltext (lizenzpflichtig)
Description
Summary:Religion and spirituality are considered to be helpful resources during late adulthood where declines and losses are presumably pronounced. In Ghana, religion and spirituality are integral aspects of everyday life. The purpose of the study was to explore and understand how older adults experience and make meaning of their lives using spirituality as a lens. Twelve community-dwelling older adults (age range = 60–81 years) in Ghana were interviewed. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the data. The findings indicated that God or the divine guides the navigation of life situations and infuses life with spiritual goals and concerns. Older adults practiced acceptance and gratitude in both positive and negative circumstances and maintained optimism and hope in other situations. The meaning-making model provided a useful framework for interpreting these findings. Limitations of the study were discussed, and suggestions for future research were offered.
ISSN:1573-6121
Contains:Enthalten in: Archive for the psychology of religion
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1177/00846724241275106