Understanding older person interactional experience with social support and their mental health

• Grant number: 10/15603-4
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research
• Start date: December 01, 2010
• End date: November 30, 2011
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Collective Health - Public Health
• Principal Investigator: Silvia Cristina Mangini Bocchi
• Grantee: Silvia Cristina Mangini Bocchi
• Host Investigator: Alison Phinney
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Medicina (FMB). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Botucatu. Botucatu , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: University of British Columbia, Vancouver (UBC), Canada

Abstract

This research project emerges from the need, indicated by a previous study, to further understand the object "the experience of older persons with social support and their mental health", precisely at a time when Brazil has experienced the impact of population aging and, as a result, the impact of chronic diseases, with cerebrovascular diseases in particular. This situation indicates the urgency to implement policies that can meet not only biological requirements, but also psychological needs that are inexorable to face challenges and achieve better quality of life for this population. Hence, the conduction of a qualitative research project is proposed with the following objectives: i) to understand the experience of older persons based on two sample groups: one comprising individuals affected by low social support in association with depression and another consisting of non-affected individuals and, ii) to design a theoretical model that can represent the movement between the two experiences. Data will be collected from older residents in a district in the city of Botucatu, São Paulo state, Brazil, who have been located from data in a study concluded in February 2010 on the same population, disclosing two groups of older persons: one with low availability of social support associated with depression and another group of individuals who are protected in relation to such aspects. Therefore, after approval by the Research Ethics Committee, the older persons will be contacted and informed about the objectives of this study so that they can decide whether or not they want to participate in it after reading the free-consent form for research participation. Theoretical saturation with be the delimitation criterion for the number of non-directive interviews to be recorded, fully transcribed and analyzed according to the methodological framework of the Grounded Theory. When the theoretical model is attained, it will firstly be discussed in light of Symbolic Interactionism and later according to scientifically produced knowledge. It is noteworthy that, since this is a research project as a requirement for a postdoctoral program to be concluded abroad, part of it will be developed in Brazil (interviews and their translation from Portuguese to English), and part of it will be conducted at the University of British Columbia - Nursing School, Vancouver, Canada. (AU)