Using cognitive behaviour therapy to explore resilience in the life-stories of 16 UK centenarians.

AIM: In 2010, we interviewed 16 UK centenarians about their lives and later published a paper on the socio-emotional aspects of positive ageing. We were struck by their ability to 'move on' from difficult situations which we recognized conceptually as 'resilience'. In the effort to understand aspects of resilience as portrayed in their stories, we re-examined their data. METHODOLOGY: In the original study, we used participatory action research (PAR) for its storytelling and group process components. Here, we re-examine data from the centenarians' life stories using a cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) lens. DESIGN: We focused on the notion of resilience in the centenarians' stories guided by CBT insights to analyse and develop psychosocial interpretations. RESULTS: Resilience comprised the ability to frame difficult life events in positive terms, accept what cannot be changed, manage worry and anxiety effectively, develop psychological flexibility in the face of change and continually seek opportunities for growth and development. We suggest that these resilient behaviours may have contributed to positive ageing.

What does it feel like to be 100? Socio-emotional aspects of well-being in the stories of 16 Centenarians living in the United Kingdom.

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this article was to describe socio-emotional themes in the stories of 16 Centenarians living in the United Kingdom. METHODOLOGY: Sixteen Centenarians were recruited and interviewed face-to-face by members of the research team. Participants were invited to tell the story of their lives in line with the principles of participatory action research (Koch and Kralik, 2006). The resultant story was returned to the Centenarian and their significant others for their validation and ownership. Stories were further analysed alongside verbatim interview transcripts. The first author wrote her psycho-social interpretation of the socio-emotional content in each person s life. These psycho-social interpretations were combined to provide commonalities in experience. FINDINGS: These six common experiences or themes were: Engagement in the world, Happiness and describing a good life, Stoicism, Sources of support, Sources of frustration and Talking about death. All participants had strong interests. They reported their lives as having been 'good' or 'happy'. They were resilient in the face of stress. Their frustrations pertained to visual or mobility impairments. While they were accepting the death of spouses, siblings and significant others, they were silent about the proximity of their own. In this article, we consider these themes in the light of previous empirical findings and theories. CONCLUSION: Centenarians indicated that life had been worth living and that it felt good to be 100 years of age. We explore the limitations of this study and discuss implications of the findings for those involved with the oldest old.

Storytelling reveals the active, positive lives of centenarians.

AIM: To present alternative stories of ageing that countered the prevailing negative stereotypes of older people by interviewing centenarians about their lives. METHOD: Sixteen healthy U.K. centenarian volunteers were interviewed in their place of residence. A story draft was produced using the interview recording and verbatim transcript. The four researchers collaborated to generate a consensus storyline which was returned to the centenarian and their significant other for their corrections, additions, validation and consent to publish using their own names. FINDINGS: Centenarians elected to talk about living as independently as possible, their continuing growth and development and their ongoing close relationships. Difficulties and loss were considered to be 'part of life' indicated by comments such as: 'accept whatever life brings', 'just plod on', 'do what you can to make things better and then move on'. CONCLUSION: The centenarians present a positive picture of ageing, which counteracts negative stereotypes. Aspects of successful ageing relate to lifestyle and environment. Centenarians have felt 'personalised' through attention gained as part of the storytelling process, therefore older people may feel valued through listening and responding in this way.

Profiles of British Muslim identity: adolescent girls in Birmingham.

By asking students to fill in 10 statements beginning with 'I am...' and a further 10 statements beginning with 'I am not...' we constructed profiles of British Muslim ethnic and national identity. Participants were 108 British Muslim girls of mean age 12.6 years studying in a single sex girls' school in Birmingham, UK. Using content analysis we found that some adolescent girls are rooted only in their personal identity. Others are rooted in their social identity. We found a number of major categories: rooted in ethnic identity only, rooted in ethnic identity but differentiating self from other groups, rooted in bicultural identity, rooted in national identity and confused ethnic and national identity. Significantly a number of participants were concerned to transcend group identities and described themselves as 'not racist' or 'not prejudiced'. A model of ethnic and national identity is presented incorporating rootedness, differentiation, confusion and transcendence.

Cultural sensitivity training: description and evaluation of a workshop.

We describe the materials used to develop cultural sensitivity within 350 nursing students. These involved a lecture on dimensions of difference between east and west, exercises on names and early memories and the construction of a cultural genogram. In addition, we report the results of an evaluation study which was both quantitative and qualitative. The questionnaire data indicated that the workshop was useful and clear. Using IPA analysis, the interview data indicated seven major themes: a close, safe space in which to talk, increased cultural awareness, freedom to inquire, awareness that cultural self-knowledge is essential for developing cultural sensitivity, impact of cultural sensitivity training on professional work with people, limitations and suggestions for future workshops and wanting more workshops in a similar vein. Second stage IPA analysis indicated four levels of cultural sensitivity: 'Them', 'Us and Them', 'We' and 'Transcendent'. Integrating the findings of both the qualitative and the qualitative data, we conclude that the workshop was highly appreciated and that there is a demand for more training in this area. Implications for further training in cultural sensitivity are considered.