title: Living in the doldrums: The lived experience of dispiritedness in later life.
abstract: This phenomenological investigation sought to enhance understanding of the experience of dispiritedness by providing a rich and vivid description of the essential structure of the experience in later life. van Manen's hermeneutic-phenomenological method was used to analyze the transcribed texts of 11 individuals who identified themselves as being in "later life" (mean age = 73, age range = 52 to 93) and who participated in phenomenological interviews focusing on describing the experience of dispiritedness. Statements describing the experience of dispiritedness were sorted into 21 thematic categories that were synthesized into 7 essential themes that described the structure of the lived experience of dispiritedness in later life as Arising From Life's Trying Transitions, Feeling Disengaged From Meaning, Experiencing a Restricting Loss of Vigor and Animation, Feeling Forlorn Bewilderment, Moving Between Engagement and Disengagement, Remaining Faithful to Enduring Connections, and Engaging in Day-to-Day Living.
authors.affiliation: The University of Iowa College of Nursing, Iowa City, Iowa 52242-1121, USA. howard-butcher@uiowa.edu
authors.forename: Howard Karl
authors.initials: HK
authors.lastname: Butcher
authors.forename: Meghan L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: McGonigal-Kenney
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000523:psychology*; D001294:Attitude to Health; D003863:Depression / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D015577:Geriatric Assessment; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010549:Personal Satisfaction; D011788:Quality of Life