Older People’s Resilience in the Context of Climate-Disasters: A Single Instrumental Case Study of Older Women in Poverty who are Widowed, Head of Household, and Living in a Disaster-Affected Community in the Philippines
Date
2018-08-01
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Abstract
While disasters are not a new phenomenon, the intensity and frequency of them have increased and are projected to continue to escalate due to climate change, globalization, rapid urbanization, and environmental degradation. Older people living in poverty represent a vulnerable group who require special attention because often their limited access to social, economic, political, and environmental resources increase their risk to the impacts of disasters. The purpose of my study was to identify the key factors and processes (specifically during the mitigation phase of the disaster management cycle or non-disaster times) that shape and influence older people’s resilience within the context of disasters, with a focus on older women living in poverty. My research design was primarily informed by case study methodology, and it included participatory action research (PAR) elements. Purposive sampling was conducted in Apitong, a community in Tacloban City, Philippines that was deeply affected by the 2013 typhoon Haiyan. Four participants were recruited as key informants of the case: a group of older women living in poverty, who are widowed, head of household, and living in a disaster-affected community in the Philippines. The following data collection methods were used: Photovoice (PV)/Videovoice (VV), semi-structured interviews (including one-to-one, focus group, and peer interviews), observation, and document review. The participants were involved in data collection, as they were trained in basic camera use, the PV/VV process, and how to conduct peer interviews. A translator was used in all the interviews, training workshops, and transcriptions. I conducted analysis (using thematic analysis) continuously and recursively, alongside data collection. Utilizing a socio-ecological conceptual framework of resilience, I identified seven environmental and one individual factor and processes that shape and influence the participants’ resilience. My study findings contribute to the paucity of literature regarding older people’s resilience within the context of disasters, specifically the need for more case-specific and context-based knowledge. Additionally, within the discipline of social work, my study informs education, research, and practice in two overlooked but critical areas: green and gerontological social work.
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green social work, gerontological social work, Resiliency, climate disasters, older women, case study, qualitative research, participatory research
Citation
Kwan, C. (2018). Older People’s Resilience in the Context of Climate-Disasters: A Single Instrumental Case Study of Older Women in Poverty who are Widowed, Head of Household, and Living in a Disaster-Affected Community in the Philippines (Doctoral thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca. doi:10.11575/PRISM/32787