Guidance for Research on Social Isolation, Loneliness, and Participation Among Older People: Lessons From a Mixed Methods Study
This article provides methodological guidance to researchers wishing to develop collaborative research projects with local governments and other agencies, by describing the process adopted in a mixed methods study conducted in the City of Wanneroo (the City), a local government area in Perth, Wester...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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SAGE Publishing
2019-09-01
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| Series: | International Journal of Qualitative Methods |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1177/1609406919872914 |
| _version_ | 1819007427461251072 |
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| author | Julie Dare Celia Wilkinson Robert Donovan Johnny Lo Marie-Louise McDermott Helen O’Sullivan Ruth Marquis |
| author_facet | Julie Dare Celia Wilkinson Robert Donovan Johnny Lo Marie-Louise McDermott Helen O’Sullivan Ruth Marquis |
| author_sort | Julie Dare |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | This article provides methodological guidance to researchers wishing to develop collaborative research projects with local governments and other agencies, by describing the process adopted in a mixed methods study conducted in the City of Wanneroo (the City), a local government area in Perth, Western Australia. The study explored factors related to older people’s (60+ years) participation in community-based activities and links between their participation and levels of social isolation, loneliness, and social connectedness. The research incorporated four interrelated stages: (1) an audit of existing programs in the City and program participant characteristics; (2) focus groups with program participants and interviews with nonparticipants; (3) a cross-sectional survey to assess factors associated with participation and links to social isolation, loneliness, and social connectedness; (4) face-to-face interviews with survey respondents screened at risk for loneliness. Methodological recommendations are provided to guide future collaborative research with local authorities, program developers, and administrators, aimed at minimizing social isolation and loneliness among older people. These include the need for clear communication and documentation of mutually agreed research objectives and responsibilities from project initiation to completion, identifying and working with local agencies to maximize recruitment among “hard to reach” groups, understanding the dimensions of loneliness addressed in the selected instrument used to screen for loneliness, and integrating innovative data collection techniques when working with vulnerable groups such as socially isolated older people. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-21T00:24:24Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-7c7a3a2517424f208ef6179b7a657feb |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1609-4069 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-21T00:24:24Z |
| publishDate | 2019-09-01 |
| publisher | SAGE Publishing |
| record_format | Article |
| series | International Journal of Qualitative Methods |
| spelling | doaj.art-7c7a3a2517424f208ef6179b7a657feb2022-12-21T19:22:02ZengSAGE PublishingInternational Journal of Qualitative Methods1609-40692019-09-011810.1177/1609406919872914Guidance for Research on Social Isolation, Loneliness, and Participation Among Older People: Lessons From a Mixed Methods StudyJulie Dare0Celia Wilkinson1Robert Donovan2Johnny Lo3Marie-Louise McDermott4Helen O’Sullivan5Ruth Marquis6 Edith Cowan University, Joondalup, Western Australia, Australia Curtin University, Bentley, Western Australia, Australia University of Western Australia, Crawley, Western Australia, Australia Edith Cowan University, Joondalup, Western Australia, Australia Diverse Productions, Perth, Western Australia, Australia City of Belmont, Belmont, Western Australia, Australia Edith Cowan University, Joondalup, Western Australia, AustraliaThis article provides methodological guidance to researchers wishing to develop collaborative research projects with local governments and other agencies, by describing the process adopted in a mixed methods study conducted in the City of Wanneroo (the City), a local government area in Perth, Western Australia. The study explored factors related to older people’s (60+ years) participation in community-based activities and links between their participation and levels of social isolation, loneliness, and social connectedness. The research incorporated four interrelated stages: (1) an audit of existing programs in the City and program participant characteristics; (2) focus groups with program participants and interviews with nonparticipants; (3) a cross-sectional survey to assess factors associated with participation and links to social isolation, loneliness, and social connectedness; (4) face-to-face interviews with survey respondents screened at risk for loneliness. Methodological recommendations are provided to guide future collaborative research with local authorities, program developers, and administrators, aimed at minimizing social isolation and loneliness among older people. These include the need for clear communication and documentation of mutually agreed research objectives and responsibilities from project initiation to completion, identifying and working with local agencies to maximize recruitment among “hard to reach” groups, understanding the dimensions of loneliness addressed in the selected instrument used to screen for loneliness, and integrating innovative data collection techniques when working with vulnerable groups such as socially isolated older people.https://doi.org/10.1177/1609406919872914 |
| spellingShingle | Julie Dare Celia Wilkinson Robert Donovan Johnny Lo Marie-Louise McDermott Helen O’Sullivan Ruth Marquis Guidance for Research on Social Isolation, Loneliness, and Participation Among Older People: Lessons From a Mixed Methods Study International Journal of Qualitative Methods |
| title | Guidance for Research on Social Isolation, Loneliness, and Participation Among Older People: Lessons From a Mixed Methods Study |
| title_full | Guidance for Research on Social Isolation, Loneliness, and Participation Among Older People: Lessons From a Mixed Methods Study |
| title_fullStr | Guidance for Research on Social Isolation, Loneliness, and Participation Among Older People: Lessons From a Mixed Methods Study |
| title_full_unstemmed | Guidance for Research on Social Isolation, Loneliness, and Participation Among Older People: Lessons From a Mixed Methods Study |
| title_short | Guidance for Research on Social Isolation, Loneliness, and Participation Among Older People: Lessons From a Mixed Methods Study |
| title_sort | guidance for research on social isolation loneliness and participation among older people lessons from a mixed methods study |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1177/1609406919872914 |
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