That’s Just Life: Older adult constructs of trauma

Abstract

An awareness of older people’s perspectives on trauma may be important, given the potential for historical and cultural features to shape how the term is conceptualised among this group, thereby influencing related help-seeking behaviour. Older people living in Essex, Cambridgeshire and Suffolk were interviewed about their perceptions of the term, as was a group of mental health professionals who work with the elderly. Many older people regarded significant adversity as just part of life, with collectively understood methods of avoidance or limited support seeking pointing to emotional management through non-disclosure. The concept of trauma seems to be relative, with stigma and shame appearing to influence the way that responses to adversity are managed by this age group.