The Identification of the Challenges and Developmental Tasks of Middle and Old age People: A Hermeneutic Study

Middle and old age are two of the most important periods in human life, and people in this period face some physical, sexual and mental disabilities. Due to the increasing population of the middle and old age people in Iran, paying attention to this important period seems necessary. Therefore, the present study was to identify the lived experiences of middle and old age married people. To this end, 16 participants (based on the principle of data saturation) were selected by purposive sampling method among the middle and old age people living in Tehran. Participants were interviewed using semi-structured in-depth interviews to identify their lived experiences. Finally, the interviews were analyzed using the Van Mannen method (interpretive phenomenological approach). Findings were divided into two categories: “challenges” and “developmental tasks”. The main themes in the challenges section were “concerns about family’s future”, “spouse relationship”, “individual challenges”, and “taking new roles by spouses”. The main themes obtained in developmental tasks included “developmental tasks focused on children”, and “developmental tasks focused on couples”. As a result, it can be concluded that the challenges and developmental tasks middle and old age people facing appear to be more focused on family and relationship. Applying the results of the present study, experts can design educational packages based on the challenges and developmental tasks these people facing in their lives, in order to increase the quality of life in middle and old age people. Besides, therapists working in the field of the elderly can take advantages of the findings of the present study to lead the process of therapeutic sessions.