| The mixed method study addressed cumulative adversity scores, measures of resiliency, and a subjective well-being of women born between 1930 and 1940. A fundamental problem of research of this cohort has been a scholarly ignorance of their personal and cultural life adversities framed by gender, and their development of resilience at a time women's roles were bound by stereotypes. Career traditions were limited to marriage and motherhood. The quantitative sample size of five participants was indicative of the lack of personal understanding of value for their contributions as women to the "Greatest Generation" culture. The study first quantitatively questioned the cumulative adversity association with the personal development of resiliency. Separately, the study sought to find a relationship of resiliency with a subjective assessment of well-being in old age. The study quantifiably gathered data for adversities and correlated a score with a Managing Emotions and Resiliency Scale (MEARS). MEARS scores measured for self-esteem, optimism, self-discipline, emotional non-defensiveness, and control. Sub-scores of the MEARS were analyzed for correlations with life satisfaction and subjective well-being scores. MEARS scores of optimism were significant when correlated with self-esteem. Optimism scores were significantly correlated with self-discipline. Life satisfaction was positively correlated with Subjective Well-Being. Qualitatively, the study engaged in private interviews to ask participants to relate and explain their personal experiences of adversity, development of resiliency, and now their subjective beliefs in their well-being. Three participants were randomly selected for Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) interviews. Themes of adversity, resiliency, subjective well-being, and life satisfaction emerged naturally from the interviews within life and death experiences of family relationships, personal sexuality, creative and social expressions, and financial and intellectual concerns. Cumulative Adversity scores clustered around a four point range. Subjective well-being ranged from 0 to 14 with a mean score of 8.8. Sixty percent of the participants had a high life satisfaction. Sixty percent of the participants had experienced an adversity of the death of a minor child. The study indicated a measure of cumulative adversity, correlated with measures of resiliency, which positively correlated with life satisfaction and well-being. The phenomenology of the sample studied indicated subjective well-being were positive for resiliency within the prevailing cultural and gender limitations of their experiences. Key words: women, adversity, resiliency, coping, gender, 1930, 1940, well-being, wellbeing, life satisfaction, gender, self-esteem, optimism, self-discipline, control, emotion, non-defense, subjective, death, child, spouse. |
