Sentido e qualidade de vida de avós que cuidam dos seus netos.

Abstract

The assumption that governs this study is based on the perception of grandparents who care for their grandchildren regarding their quality of life (which is a theoretical construct for healthy aging) and the meaning of life (as the basis of existential analysis for understanding the relationship between grandparents who take care of their grandchildren). The aim is then to answer the following guiding question: How are the quality of life and meaning of life perceived by grandparents caring for their grandchildren? Therefore, two articles were prepared with the following objectives: 1) identify the perception of quality of life of grandparents who care for their grandchildren; 2) identify the perception of the meaning of life of grandparents who care for their grandchildren based on Logotherapy and Existential Analysis. To this end, this study will be presented in the form of two articles, one that focuses on quality of life, and the other, on the meaning of life of grandparents who care for their grandchildren. The first article was entitled “Perception of the quality of life of elderly people who care for their grandchildren”, characterized as a descriptive, cross-sectional research, with a quantitative-qualitative approach, and the second, entitled “The elderly relationship in the light of Logotherapy and Existential Analysis”, characterized as an exploratory research with a qualitative approach. The sample was made up of 15 elderly grandmothers who lived with at least one grandchild, and who participated in the daily activities of the Coexistence and Strengthening of Bonds Service (SCFV) in the city of Taperoá/PB, or had a grandchild who participated in the activities offered by the Service. The project was submitted to the Ethics Committee of Estado da Paraíba, Brasil, and was approved under protocol n. 5.539.251. It is concluded that in related to the well-beign of the family, including the relationship of care with their grandchildren: to being useful, to social interction and to the affective bonds of grandparenthood, which are all attributes positive feelings perceived by the grandmothers’ statementes in relation to quality of life, although speeches also appered that demonstrated an overload of time and resources to carry out the care provided to their grandchildren. Regarding the perception of meaning in life and ageism, it was found that an essential act forhuman existence is the preervation of thinking about thinking about the uniqueness of each human being in the face of their attitudes and life experiences, pointing out that ageism gives meaning to living for something or someone who brings you existential goals to move forward, even in the face of the losses or gains of getting older. Affection, company and joy are essential nouns that positive the meaning of life of grandparents who take care of their grandchildren, despite the fear of leaving early and not seeing them grow up. The limits of the study were due to the fact that it was carried out in a region of Brazil, with its sociodemographic specificities that can bring different arguments regarding human aging and quality of life, and in relation to having been a study that achieved a sample of elderly women, grandmothers, that is, of a female audience. There is an urgent need to expand further studies and further studies that elucidate the topic of aging and human aging, from the perspective of Health Psychology.