高齢者の閉じこもりに対する家族の認識の構造

The Structure of Family Attitudes towards Social Withdrawal among the Elderly

要旨

目的：高齢者の閉じこもりに対する家族の認識の構造を明らかにすることである．

方法：A県内の8市町村の介護予防事業対象者の家族10人を対象とし，高齢者の閉じこもりに対する家族の認識に関連する4点を質問項目として半構造化面接を行い，KJ法を用いて質的に分析した．

結果：高齢者の閉じこもりに対する家族の認識は，要素1【私は“家族の絆を背負っている”】，要素2【気がかりで“少し重い”存在である】，要素3【高齢者が“主体的につくる”生活が理想である】の3つから構成され，それぞれが関係性を持ち，家族の認識の構造を示した．その構造とは，要素1が基盤となり，要素2および要素3が相互作用する関係にあった．

結論：家族は高齢者の閉じこもりに対して，家族の家族観である家族の絆を基盤とし，適切な対応が分からず困惑する存在としての捉え方および主体的な生活を理想とする捉え方が相互に関係するという認識の構造を示した．

Objective: This study aimed to clarify the structure of family attitudes towards social withdrawal among the elderly.

Methods: In the present study, we conducted a semi-structured interview of 10 family members participating in a project to prevent nursing care dependence among the elderly in 8 municipalities in Prefecture A. The interview consisted of questions on four points relating to the attitudes of family members towards social withdrawal by the elderly. We then used the KJ Method to qualitatively analyze the study data in the form of the interview content.

Results: The results of the interview demonstrated that family attitudes to social withdrawal in their elderly relatives were composed of three elements. The first was that family members perceived themselves to be “I am ‘shouldering the weight of family bonds’,” the second was that they perceived their elderly relatives as “it's a worry and ‘slightly heavy’ existence,” and the third was that they recognized “ideal for the elderly to ‘create by themselves’ life.” In terms of the relationship between these three elements, the first element formed the core of their attitudes, while the second and third elements formed interactive components of their mindset.

Conclusion: The results of this study showed that the structure of family attitudes towards social withdrawal among elderly relatives were based on the family (family conception) of family bonds, while their confusion about how to communicate had interrelated components with their ideal of elderly relatives being self reliant hand being automomous.