The Upside of Negative Emotions: How Do Older Adults From Different Cultures Challenge Their Self-Growth During the COVID-19 Pandemic?
Background and ObjectiveThe outbreak of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) has raised increased challenges for older adults’ personal growth in diverse cultural settings. The aim of this study was to analyze negative emotions and their role on older adults’ self-growth in Mexico, Italy, Portugal, a...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2022-05-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Psychology |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.648078/full |
| _version_ | 1817984705654423552 |
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| author | Sofia von Humboldt Neyda Ma. Mendoza-Ruvalcaba Elva Dolores Arias-Merino José Alberto Ribeiro-Gonçalves Emilia Cabras Gail Low Isabel Leal |
| author_facet | Sofia von Humboldt Neyda Ma. Mendoza-Ruvalcaba Elva Dolores Arias-Merino José Alberto Ribeiro-Gonçalves Emilia Cabras Gail Low Isabel Leal |
| author_sort | Sofia von Humboldt |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Background and ObjectiveThe outbreak of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) has raised increased challenges for older adults’ personal growth in diverse cultural settings. The aim of this study was to analyze negative emotions and their role on older adults’ self-growth in Mexico, Italy, Portugal, and Spain, during the COVID-19 pandemic. For this purpose, a cross-national qualitative research was carried out.MethodsData were collected from 338 community-dwelling participants aged 65 years and older, using a semi-structured interview protocol. Older adults were asked about negative emotions that significantly contribute to their self-growth during the COVID-19 pandemic. Content analysis was used to identify key themes.ResultsSeven main negative emotions (fear, sadness, anger, grief, boredom, loneliness, and shame) significantly contributed to seven themes of self-growth, across the samples: sharing difficult experiences with others, supportive partner, spiritual practices, engagement with life, generativity, volunteering activities, and intimacy and sexual satisfaction. Sharing difficult experiences with others was most pertinent to Mexican (13.9%) and to Italian (3.0%) participants, and a supportive partner to Portuguese (12.1%), and to Spanish participants (6.5%).ConclusionThe findings of this study indicate that negative emotions during the COVID-19 pandemic contributed to their older adults’ self-growth. This study highlighted the cultural diversity of experiences during the pandemics and underlined the upside of negative emotions and its relation to older adults’ self-growth during this period. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-13T23:48:15Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-8b1b3666643745a2a7874ee23057084f |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1664-1078 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-13T23:48:15Z |
| publishDate | 2022-05-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Psychology |
| spelling | doaj.art-8b1b3666643745a2a7874ee23057084f2022-12-22T02:24:14ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Psychology1664-10782022-05-011310.3389/fpsyg.2022.648078648078The Upside of Negative Emotions: How Do Older Adults From Different Cultures Challenge Their Self-Growth During the COVID-19 Pandemic?Sofia von Humboldt0Neyda Ma. Mendoza-Ruvalcaba1Elva Dolores Arias-Merino2José Alberto Ribeiro-Gonçalves3Emilia Cabras4Gail Low5Isabel Leal6William James Center for Research, ISPA – Instituto Universitário, Lisbon, PortugalHealth Sciences Division, Universidad de Guadalajara CUTONALA, Guadalajara, MexicoDepartment of Public Health, Universidad de Guadalajara CUCS, Guadalajara, MexicoWilliam James Center for Research, ISPA – Instituto Universitário, Lisbon, PortugalDepartamento de Educación, Universidad Antonio de Nebrija, Madrid, SpainFaculty of Nursing, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, CanadaWilliam James Center for Research, ISPA – Instituto Universitário, Lisbon, PortugalBackground and ObjectiveThe outbreak of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) has raised increased challenges for older adults’ personal growth in diverse cultural settings. The aim of this study was to analyze negative emotions and their role on older adults’ self-growth in Mexico, Italy, Portugal, and Spain, during the COVID-19 pandemic. For this purpose, a cross-national qualitative research was carried out.MethodsData were collected from 338 community-dwelling participants aged 65 years and older, using a semi-structured interview protocol. Older adults were asked about negative emotions that significantly contribute to their self-growth during the COVID-19 pandemic. Content analysis was used to identify key themes.ResultsSeven main negative emotions (fear, sadness, anger, grief, boredom, loneliness, and shame) significantly contributed to seven themes of self-growth, across the samples: sharing difficult experiences with others, supportive partner, spiritual practices, engagement with life, generativity, volunteering activities, and intimacy and sexual satisfaction. Sharing difficult experiences with others was most pertinent to Mexican (13.9%) and to Italian (3.0%) participants, and a supportive partner to Portuguese (12.1%), and to Spanish participants (6.5%).ConclusionThe findings of this study indicate that negative emotions during the COVID-19 pandemic contributed to their older adults’ self-growth. This study highlighted the cultural diversity of experiences during the pandemics and underlined the upside of negative emotions and its relation to older adults’ self-growth during this period.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.648078/fullcross-culturalnegative emotionsolder adultsself-growthqualitative researchCovid-19 pandemic |
| spellingShingle | Sofia von Humboldt Neyda Ma. Mendoza-Ruvalcaba Elva Dolores Arias-Merino José Alberto Ribeiro-Gonçalves Emilia Cabras Gail Low Isabel Leal The Upside of Negative Emotions: How Do Older Adults From Different Cultures Challenge Their Self-Growth During the COVID-19 Pandemic? Frontiers in Psychology cross-cultural negative emotions older adults self-growth qualitative research Covid-19 pandemic |
| title | The Upside of Negative Emotions: How Do Older Adults From Different Cultures Challenge Their Self-Growth During the COVID-19 Pandemic? |
| title_full | The Upside of Negative Emotions: How Do Older Adults From Different Cultures Challenge Their Self-Growth During the COVID-19 Pandemic? |
| title_fullStr | The Upside of Negative Emotions: How Do Older Adults From Different Cultures Challenge Their Self-Growth During the COVID-19 Pandemic? |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Upside of Negative Emotions: How Do Older Adults From Different Cultures Challenge Their Self-Growth During the COVID-19 Pandemic? |
| title_short | The Upside of Negative Emotions: How Do Older Adults From Different Cultures Challenge Their Self-Growth During the COVID-19 Pandemic? |
| title_sort | upside of negative emotions how do older adults from different cultures challenge their self growth during the covid 19 pandemic |
| topic | cross-cultural negative emotions older adults self-growth qualitative research Covid-19 pandemic |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.648078/full |
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