Journal of Cross-Cultural Gerontology

, Volume 27, Issue 2, pp 163–182 | Cite as

Cultural and Contextual Analysis of Quality of Life Among Older Nepali Women

ORIGINAL ARTICLE
First Online:

Abstract

The quality-of-life construct can be used to assess how well an individual’s needs are met or being met by the society. However, in the dominant narratives of quality of life in old age, exploration of the impact of cultural differences on how older adults define and assess their quality of life has been limited. Moreover, the examination of heterogeneity within one culture and its influence on quality of life has been largely ignored. The present study compares the quality of life as defined by two samples of Nepali elderly women, those who live with their families and those who live in an old-age home, and presents data on factors associated with quality of life in the two samples. The results show that social and cultural norms, informed by religious principles that prescribe familial elder care, impact how quality of life is described by both groups of women.

Keywords

Quality of life Older women Culture Religion Nepal 
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Notes

Acknowledgement

This work was supported in part by Association of American University Dissertation Fellowship and the Houston VA HSR&D Center of Excellence (HFP90-020). The views expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the Department of Veterans Affairs, the US government or Baylor College of Medicine.

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Copyright information

© © Springer Science+Business Media, LLC (outside the USA) 2012 2012

Authors and Affiliations

  1. 1.VA Houston HSR&D Center of Excellence, Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical CenterHoustonUSA
  2. 2.Menninger Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral SciencesBaylor College of MedicineHoustonUSA
  3. 3.Department of Human Development and Family StudiesPennsylvania State UniversityUniversity ParkUSA
  4. 4.VA Medical Center (152)HoustonUSA

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