Psychological Studies

, Volume 55, Issue 4, pp 308–312 | Cite as

Content Analysis of the Fears of Elderly People

  • Catherine Hervé
  • Daniel Alaphilippe
  • Nathalie Bailly
  • Michèle Joulain
Original Article
First Online:
Received:
Accepted:

Abstract

The aim of this study was to investigate the fears of elderly people, the structure of these fears, and the relationship between categories of fear and age. Six categories of fear were identified by content analysis of the transcripts of semi-structured interviews: (1) Loss/Bereavement and decline/declining health, (2) Fear for descendants, (3) Environment/Politics, (4) Incidents/Mishaps and Accidents, (5) Suffering and Death and (6) Stranger/the Supernatural. Findings suggest that fears can be categorized by themes that may have different significance. Three of these themes—Incidents and Accidents, Suffering and Death and Stranger—correspond to fears for oneself, while the other three—Loss and Decline, Descendants and Environment/Politics—correspond to fears for others.

Keywords

Fear Elderly People 
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Copyright information

© National Academy of Psychology (NAOP) India 2010

Authors and Affiliations

  • Catherine Hervé
    • 1
    • 2
  • Daniel Alaphilippe
    • 1
  • Nathalie Bailly
    • 1
  • Michèle Joulain
    • 1
  1. 1.Département de Psychologie, UFR Arts et Sciences HumainesUniversité François RabelaisTours Cedex 1France
  2. 2.EA 2114: Vieillissement et développement adulteUniversité F. RabelaisTours Cedex 1France

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