| |
Centre for Policy on Ageing | |
 | |
|
Together and apart
— a typology of re-partnering in old age | | Author(s) | Chaya Koren |
| Journal title | International Psychogeriatrics, vol 26, no 8, August 2014 |
| Publisher | Cambridge University Press, August 2014 |
| Pages | pp 1327-1350 |
| Source | www.journals.cambridge.org |
| Keywords | 65-69 age group ; Widows ; Widowers ; Divorced persons ; Personal relationships ; Living patterns ; Cohabiting couples ; Marriage. |
| Annotation | The human need for love, friendship and physical contact, and the fear of loneliness do not diminish with age. Widowhood and late-life divorce and increased life expectancy are likely to lead to alternative relationships, such as re-partnering. The purpose of this paper was to explore interplays between emotional and physical components of re-partnering in old age. Theoretical sampling of 20 couples included men who re-partnered at the age of 65+ years and women at the age of 60+ years, following termination of lifelong marriages due to death or divorce. Living arrangements included married or unmarried cohabitation under the same roof or in separate homes. 40 semi-structured interviews were tape-recorded and transcribed verbatim. The couple was the unit of analysis. Interplays between physical and emotional dimensions were examined using five abductive parameters derived from data analysis resulting in a fourfold typology of emotional and physical closeness/distance in re-partnering in old age: (1) living together (physically and emotionally); (2) living apart (physically) together (emotionally); (3) living together (physically) apart (emotionally); and (4) living apart (physically and emotionally). Findings revealed types of partner relationships that are different from lifelong marriages. The typology could help professionals working with older persons regarding what to expect in re-partnering in old age and be included in developmental theories as an option in old age. A quantitative tool for research and therapy purposes, entitled The Re-partnering in Old Age Typology Scale (RPOAT Scale), based on abductive parameters, could be established for measuring re-partnering relationship quality and classifying re-partnering couples. (JL) |
| Accession Number | CPA-150619239 A |
| Classmark | BBE: SP: SPA: SOJ: DS: K7: SMC: SL |
Data © Centre for Policy on Ageing |
|
| ...from the Ageinfo database published by Centre for Policy on Ageing. |
| |
|