The illusion of paradox: commentary on Albrecht, G.L. and Devlieger, P.J. (1998). The disability paradox: high quality of life against all odds. Social Science &amp; Medicine 48, 977–988

Koch, Tom

doi:10.1016/s0277-9536(99)00385-8

Cited by 27 publications

(20 citation statements)

References 4 publications

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“…In view of that, we argue in support of the observation that QoL is not synonymous with health, and depends on a multiplicity of factors (Koch, 2000;Michalos, Zumbo, & Hubley, 2003), including the importance of adaptation to losses that accompany the aging process (Holtslander & Duggleby, 2009;Steverink et al, 2001).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 51%

Identifying Connections Between the Subjective Experience of Health and Quality of Life in Old Age

et al. 2010

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The importance of qualitative methods in quality of life (QoL) studies is being increasingly recognized. Whereas attention has mainly focused on the exploration of relevant domains, subjective well-being, and representations of health in aging, less consideration has been given to relations among different QoL domains. We aimed in this research to identify connections between subjective health and other relevant domains from the perspective of older adults. We identified four central categories: adaptation to the limits of health in aging; seeking a balance in subjective health and QoL in aging; sense of place in centers for older people; and health and family interrelated dimensions of QoL in old age. According to the participants, the family domain positively impacts health as a consequence of contacts, support, and accomplishments. It might also have a negative impact as a result of a relatives' death or severe disease. The qualitative QoL perspective contributes to capturing the multidimensionality of health, aging, and place.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 51%

Identifying Connections Between the Subjective Experience of Health and Quality of Life in Old Age

et al. 2010

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“…Thus, health or illness is only one aspect of one's quality of life spectrum. Family relations; work satisfaction; education; marital status, etc also play a constitutive role (Koch, 2000) and by assuming that health is the only predominating criteria influencing quality of life, the developers of the disability paradox overvalue the importance of health whilst ignoring the fuller spectrum of existential and social factors.…”

Section: (My Emphasis)mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…There is the assumption that disability by definition leads to a low quality of life (Koch, 2000). Is it so pertinently unthinkable that people with a disability can and are happy?…”

Section: (My Emphasis)mentioning

confidence: 99%

Chronic Illness as a Source of Happiness: Paradox or perfectly normal?

Hoppe

2013

hcs

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In this paper I analyse the relation between happiness and chronic illness from the perspective of medical anthropology and disability studies. By looking at the disability paradox I deconstruct society's view of people with a disability. I argue that the disability paradox is problematic as it ignores the views of people with a disability. Moreover, such a paradox reinforces the idea that living with a chronic illness or disability is a devastating experience and that happiness and disability are mutally exclusive realities. Based on empiric examples of people who suffer from Multiple Sclerosis I demonstrate that people with a chronic illness can experience happiness in spite of illness, but also as a consequence of it.

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“…Life satisfaction is important because it represents the subjective appraisal of one’s life –an indicator of overall life quality (George, 2002) above and beyond objective indicators of health. For example, although most older adults have at least one chronic health condition and over 20% live with a chronic disability (Manton & Gu, 2001), older adults generally rate their quality of life as positive (Berg et al, 2009a; Koch, 2000). …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Race differences in the association of spiritual experiences and life satisfaction in older age

Skarupski

Fitchett

Evans

et al. 2013

Aging & Mental Health

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Objectives The primary objective of this study was to examine an African American ‘faith advantage’ in life satisfaction. Specifically, we sought to test the hypothesis that the positive relationship between spiritual experiences and life satisfaction is stronger among older African Americans than among older Whites. Method The data came from 6,864 community-dwelling persons aged 65+ (66% African American) who participated in the Chicago Health and Aging Project. Life satisfaction was measured using a five-item composite and we used a five-item version of the Daily Spiritual Experiences scale. Results In a regression model adjusting for age, sex, marital status, education, income, and worship attendance, we found that African American race was associated with lower life satisfaction. We also found a positive association between spiritual experiences and life satisfaction. In an additional model, a significant race × spiritual experiences interaction term indicates that spiritual experiences are more positively associated with life satisfaction among African Americans. Conclusion The data suggest that at higher levels of spiritual experiences, racial differences in life satisfaction are virtually non-existent. However, at lower levels of spiritual experiences, older African Americans show modestly lower levels of life satisfaction than do older Whites. This pattern suggests that spiritual experiences are a positive resource - distinct from worship attendance- that enable older African Americans to overcome decrements in life satisfaction and in fact, that lower spiritual experiences may be especially harmful for older African American’s life satisfaction.

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The illusion of paradox: commentary on Albrecht, G.L. and Devlieger, P.J. (1998). The disability paradox: high quality of life against all odds. Social Science & Medicine 48, 977–988

Cited by 27 publications

References 4 publications

Identifying Connections Between the Subjective Experience of Health and Quality of Life in Old Age

Identifying Connections Between the Subjective Experience of Health and Quality of Life in Old Age

Chronic Illness as a Source of Happiness: Paradox or perfectly normal?

Race differences in the association of spiritual experiences and life satisfaction in older age

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