A PHENOMENOLOGICAL STUDY OF MEANING IN LIFE IN SUICIDAL OLDER ADULTS

The purpose of this hermeneutical phenomenological study was to explor e how older adults who were suicidal experienced meaning in their live s. Eleven older persons between the ages of 64 and 92 years were inter viewed about their subjective experiences of feeling suicidal, Data we re analysed using van Manen's (1990) method of hermeneutical analysis. Three main themes evolved as characteristic of the fundamental themat ic structure of the participants' experiences of meaning, These themes were conceptualized under a broader theme of alienation, a theme whic h was characterized by broken connections with individuals and meaning ful activities, The question of meaning in life for these older person s was reflected not only from the perspective of meaningfulness, but a lso from the viewpoint of meaninglessness. Their narratives contribute to a deepened understanding of what it is like to be old, suicidal, a nd to feel like life has no meaning and purpose. Copyright (C) 1997 by W.B. Saunders Company.