Pandemic Disruptions of Older Adults’ Meaningful Connections: Linking Spirituality and Religion to Suffering and Resilience
The COVID-19 pandemic has upended the lives of persons of all ages throughout the world. Older adults have been particularly susceptible to the virus and have died at higher rates than any other age group. Starting from the early days of the pandemic, gerontologists rallied to address a wide variety...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2022-07-01
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| Series: | Religions |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/13/7/622 |
| _version_ | 1797433124448108544 |
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| author | Susan H. McFadden |
| author_facet | Susan H. McFadden |
| author_sort | Susan H. McFadden |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The COVID-19 pandemic has upended the lives of persons of all ages throughout the world. Older adults have been particularly susceptible to the virus and have died at higher rates than any other age group. Starting from the early days of the pandemic, gerontologists rallied to address a wide variety of issues affecting older people’s lives. This paper reviews gerontological research that began shortly after the pandemic was declared and examines how a model of meaningful connectedness undergirding spiritual and religious experiences sheds light on the suffering and the resilience of older people during the pandemic. It notes that despite over four decades of research on the role of religion and spirituality in older people’s lives, there has been little mention in major gerontology journals of the role of elders’ religiousness and spirituality in their responses to the pandemic. The paper concludes with a call for gerontologists to pay closer attention to elder religiousness and spirituality and the many questions that need to be addressed regarding older people’s experiences during the pandemic. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T10:12:39Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-958b4b71e5cd42689feae07b657f8c36 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2077-1444 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T10:12:39Z |
| publishDate | 2022-07-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Religions |
| spelling | doaj.art-958b4b71e5cd42689feae07b657f8c362023-12-01T22:38:09ZengMDPI AGReligions2077-14442022-07-0113762210.3390/rel13070622Pandemic Disruptions of Older Adults’ Meaningful Connections: Linking Spirituality and Religion to Suffering and ResilienceSusan H. McFadden0Professor Emerita, Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin Oshkosh, Oshkosh, WI 54901, USAThe COVID-19 pandemic has upended the lives of persons of all ages throughout the world. Older adults have been particularly susceptible to the virus and have died at higher rates than any other age group. Starting from the early days of the pandemic, gerontologists rallied to address a wide variety of issues affecting older people’s lives. This paper reviews gerontological research that began shortly after the pandemic was declared and examines how a model of meaningful connectedness undergirding spiritual and religious experiences sheds light on the suffering and the resilience of older people during the pandemic. It notes that despite over four decades of research on the role of religion and spirituality in older people’s lives, there has been little mention in major gerontology journals of the role of elders’ religiousness and spirituality in their responses to the pandemic. The paper concludes with a call for gerontologists to pay closer attention to elder religiousness and spirituality and the many questions that need to be addressed regarding older people’s experiences during the pandemic.https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/13/7/622COVID-19 pandemicgerontologyresiliencesufferingmeaningconnectedness |
| spellingShingle | Susan H. McFadden Pandemic Disruptions of Older Adults’ Meaningful Connections: Linking Spirituality and Religion to Suffering and Resilience Religions COVID-19 pandemic gerontology resilience suffering meaning connectedness |
| title | Pandemic Disruptions of Older Adults’ Meaningful Connections: Linking Spirituality and Religion to Suffering and Resilience |
| title_full | Pandemic Disruptions of Older Adults’ Meaningful Connections: Linking Spirituality and Religion to Suffering and Resilience |
| title_fullStr | Pandemic Disruptions of Older Adults’ Meaningful Connections: Linking Spirituality and Religion to Suffering and Resilience |
| title_full_unstemmed | Pandemic Disruptions of Older Adults’ Meaningful Connections: Linking Spirituality and Religion to Suffering and Resilience |
| title_short | Pandemic Disruptions of Older Adults’ Meaningful Connections: Linking Spirituality and Religion to Suffering and Resilience |
| title_sort | pandemic disruptions of older adults meaningful connections linking spirituality and religion to suffering and resilience |
| topic | COVID-19 pandemic gerontology resilience suffering meaning connectedness |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/13/7/622 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT susanhmcfadden pandemicdisruptionsofolderadultsmeaningfulconnectionslinkingspiritualityandreligiontosufferingandresilience |