Posttraumatic Growth Among Older Adults with Severe Macular Degeneration
The goal of this study is to measure and describe the extent to which individuals who have vision loss caused by AMD, perceive personal benefits, including changes in perceptions of self, relationships with others, and philosophy of life, accruing from their attempts to cope with their vision loss.
Background: AMD is the leading cause of irreversible blindness worldwide and affects older adults. Many losses accompany the onset of visual impairment, including loss of mobility and driving privileges, difficulty with activities of daily living and visually intensive tasks, such as reading, social isolation and increased risk of injury. There is a general consensus that the negative impact of AMD is profound
The concept of growth as a result of the struggle with blindness has escaped inquiry. Current research reveals that, even with complete acknowledgment of the undesirability of trauma and loss due to life events, “the process of enduring and learning from negative life events can offer a reward that has never before been encountered”, a change which for some people is deeply meaningful.
Specific Aims: Aim 1) to measure and describe the extent to which PTG occurs in a sample of older adults experiencing vision loss caused by AMD Aim 2) to discover the demographic correlates of PTG in this sample Aim 3) to use semi structured, qualitative interviews to better understand the experience of the struggle with vision loss and how it led to growth among older adults with severe AMD, and to highlight exemplars who have achieved this growth.
Methods: This descriptive and correlational study will use a mixed method approach and a cross sectional design. The data collection will consist of two phases. First an interviewer administered questionnaire comprised of the 21 item Post Traumatic Growth Inventory (PTGI) as well as demographic questions (n=100). Next, in depth, semi structured interviews will be conducted among the 10 highest scoring individuals who score positively on the PTGI, to be used as exemplars to highlight the experience of achieving growth as a result of the struggle with visual impairment.
Results: forthcoming
Significance/Relevance to Nursing Practice: By considering and understanding not only the physiologic and symptomology aspects of AMD, but also the psychological and social potential of our patients, nurses achieve their goal of practicing patient centered care. The results of this study, whether positive or negative will help to illuminate and situate patients with AMD in a broader context.
The nurse, whether acting as the primary care provider, psychiatric provider, or in other capacities with patients with AMD is a critical part of the patients sociocultural environment. By recognizing patients’ potential for growth, nurses may actually facilitate the growth itself: