Diane Witt

Defense Date

9-8-2006

Graduation Date

Fall 2006

Availability

Immediate Access

Submission Type

dissertation

Degree Name

PhD

Department

Nursing

School

School of Nursing

Committee Chair

Rick Zoucha

Committee Member

Joan A. Masters

Committee Member

Kathryn Jay Elliott

Keywords

aging, agrarian, culture, health beliefs, health practices, rural, transcultural nursing

Abstract

The purpose of this Ethnonursing study was to discover and explore the elder agrarian rural subculture in regard to well-being, health beliefs, values and practices. In depth interviews utilizing a semi-structured interview guide were carried out with eleven key and 23 general informants in a rural county in south-central Minnesota. A snowball method was utilized to recruit informants. Concurrent analysis was carried out utilizing Leininger's phases of Ethnonursing analysis for qualitative data.

Data management and analysis was facilitated through the use of QSR NVivo software for qualitative data analysis version 6. Sixteen categories, ten patterns and three themes emerged from the data. The themes are: 1) Health and well being in Agrarian elder men and women is characterized by hardiness, 2) Agrarian elder men and women are interdependent with their spouse, family, and God to promote their health and well being and 3) To Agrarian elder men and women care is the physical and emotional presence of others during both health and illness. The findings of this study provide a framework from which to develop culturally congruent care for agrarian elders as well as identify implications for nursing theory, research, education and practice.

Format

PDF

Language

English

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