Date

8-6-2025

Department

School of Behavioral Sciences

Degree

Doctor of Education in Community Care and Counseling (EdD)

Chair

Lisa Ansell

Keywords

emotional well-being, healthy aging, older rural population, thematic analysis

Disciplines

Counseling

Abstract

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to describe the experiences of older adults regarding emotional well-being in rural West Virginia. Havighurst’s activity theory on aging provided the lens for guiding the research and was supplemented with a framework of reablement. The in-depth literature review showed prevalent trends and limitations in current research on the rural aging population’s efforts to maintain and meet their emotional well-being needs. An essential aspect of the literature review was the limited resources available in rural communities in general. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 11 participants recruited from the public. As part of the data processing, complete transcriptions of the interviews were utilized to aid in the analysis process. Thematic analysis was used to identify themes and patterns within the data. Interview questions were broken into themes of patterns and trends based on the coding of interview quotes. The conceptual model of the three sub-research questions and the central research question was constructed through a thematic analysis of the interview data. The conceptual model of the lived experiences of West Virginia’s older rural population in maintaining and meeting emotional needs centered on three themes: relational networks, autonomy, and internal strength. The lived experience of the rural population shared commonalities in the aging process, which were supported by autonomy, resilience, emotional strength, community-driven actions, and strong family bonds.

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