Person–environment fit in urban neighbourhoods in Slovenia : challenges and coping strategies

Filipovič Hrast, Maša (author), Sendi, Richard (author), Kerbler, Boštjan Kefo (author)

A poor person–environment fit may bring various negative effects to older people’s independence and physical and psychological well-being. The presented study is especially valuable as it explores the challenges of living in cities in a country located in central and eastern Europe; namely, a less researched area when it comes to the quality of life of older people dwelling in an urban environment. The research questions that were explored are (1) what environmental pressures have people identified in the urban environment in Slovenia; and (2) what strategies have they used to deal with them? The study is based on 22 interviews with older people and three focus groups, that were then analysed using a thematic analysis approach. The study results identify a number of environmental pressures, which were divided into structural housing pressures, structural neighbourhood pressures, and formal and informal pressures. The analysis shows important behavioural responses, such as strategies of using formal and informal help, moving away from environmental pressures, mobility, actively involved in changing the environment, as well as attitudinal adaptation strategies, such as acceptance, resilience, using distraction, modesty and planning for the future. We further emphasize how these coping strategies are linked to individual and community capabilities, which function as a conversion factor.

• Language: English
• Keywords: person–environment fit, urban neighbourhoods, ageing in place, coping strategies
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: FDV - Faculty of Social Sciences
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2023
• Number of pages: Str. 1-14
• Numbering: Vol. 20, issue 6, [article no.] 5139
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-144825
• UDC: 316.334.56:316.728-053.9(497.4)
• ISSN on article: 1660-4601
• DOI: 10.3390/ijerph20065139
• COBISS.SI-ID: 145260035
• Publication date in RUL: 15.03.2023

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: International journal of environmental research and public health
• Shortened title: Int. j. environ. res. public health
• Publisher: MDPI
• ISSN: 1660-4601
• COBISS.SI-ID: 1818965

Licences

• License: CC BY 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Description: This is the standard Creative Commons license that gives others maximum freedom to do what they want with the work as long as they credit the author.

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Keywords: urbana sociologija, mestno življenje, kakovost življenja, starostniki, Slovenija

Projects

• Funder: ARRS - Slovenian Research Agency
• Project number: J5-2568
• Name: Javni prostor za potrebe starejših v velikih večstanovanjskih soseskah v Sloveniji

• Funder: ARRS - Slovenian Research Agency
• Project number: J5-8243
• Name: Model za kakovostno staranje v domačem bivalnem okolju v Sloveniji