Quilting as a generative activity: Studying those who make quilts for wounded service members.

A qualitative study of 24 quilters examined their experiences creating and delivering quilts to wounded service members who served in the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts. Using Erikson's (1963) perspective on generativity and Baumeister and Vohs's (2002) theory of motivation as theoretical frameworks, along with McCracken's (1988) five-step analysis model, we looked at the part motivation played in this process. The results were that respondents wanted to supply quilts in response to their own family histories of military involvement, to support friends/acquaintances with family in the military, and to make a difference to those who seemed young and badly wounded.

Have I Ever Done Anything Like This Before? Older Adults Solving Ill-Defined Problems in Intensive Volunteering.

This study examined the ways in which individuals over 50 years old solved problems while volunteering in intensive humanitarian and disaster relief service. Thirty-seven men and women in the sample were sponsored by three religious organizations well known for providing humanitarian and disaster relief service. Semistructured interviews yielded data that were analyzed qualitatively, using McCracken's five-step process for analysis.

Leaving home: how older adults prepare for intensive volunteering.

Using the concepts in the Fogg Behavioral Model, 37 volunteers aged 50 and older described their preparation for intensive volunteering with faith-based organizations. Their multistage preparation process included decision points where respondents needed to choose whether to drop out or continue preparation. Ability was a stronger determinant of serving than motivation, particularly in terms of health and finances.

Challenges and psychosocial growth for older volunteers giving intensive humanitarian service.

Purpose Of The Study: We conducted a qualitative study of 38 mid-late life volunteers in intensive humanitarian service to ascertain the challenges, personal changes, and benefits they experienced from their volunteer activities. Intensive volunteering was defined as service done on a 24-hr a day basis at a location away from home.

Design And Methods: In-depth interviews were conducted by phone or in person with each participant.

Passing over: identity transition in widows.

This qualitative study of nine women examined the changes in their everyday lives as they cared for their terminally-ill husbands and after their husbands died. It also studied how the women coped with these changes, and how their coping contributed to their identity change from wife to widow. Symbolic interaction was utilized to study the changes in their social relationships, time usage, and the utilization of everyday objects.

Quilting as age identity expression in traditional women.

A qualitative study using McCracken's (1988) multistage process for data analysis examined how women in three traditional cultures express themselves and their age identities in quilting. In semi-structured interviews, 10 Amish, 10 Appalachian, and 10 Latter-day Saint (Mormon) women discussed their quilting-related experiences, rewards that they receive from quilting, and the variety of ways in which quilting assists them in creating positive age identities. Results illustrated how quilting aided personal progress in building quilting-related skills and enlarging personal influence through owning quilting businesses, teaching and mentoring others, gaining respect as skilled artisans, and acting as guardians of family traditions.

Tending and befriending: the intertwined relationships of quilters.

Using the convoy model of social relations, we explored the contributions of quilting activities to the relationships of middle- and older-aged women in three distinct groups: Amish, Appalachian, and Latter Day Saints. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with ten women from each group and analyzed qualitatively using McCracken's five-step method for analysis of long interviews. We found that these women had considerable horizontal and vertical connections to others.