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PERCEIVED AGE, SOCIAL INTEGRATION, AND DISABILITY: A CASE STUDY OF AGING WOMEN

2004; Taylor & Francis; Volume: 9; Issue: 2 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1080/15325020490242038

1532-5032

Tracie Harrison, David Kahn,

Architecture, Design, and Social History

Abstract In this study, we used a qualitative case study design influenced by interpretive interactionism to explore how disability influences the perception of age and the social integration of three aging women. This study begins an important step toward understanding disability, aging, and social integration by bringing the reader into our conversation with three unique but similar women. These women expressed a perception of age younger than their chronological age; negative events associated with disability did not sway the women to perceive themselves as older than their stated age. Social integration varied depending upon their ability to find an environment that supported their chosen identity. Future studies are needed to provide further understanding of how women integrate the changes associated with disability into their social spheres during late adulthood. Additional informationNotes on contributorsTRACIE HARRISON Tracie C. Harrison, a doctoral candidate, is a John A. Hartford BAGNC Scholar and a Donald D. Harrington Fellow at the University of Texas at Austin, School of Nursing. DAVID L. KAHN David L. Kahn is an associate professor at the University of Texas at Austin, School of Nursing.