For your Eyes Only: A Q-Methodology on the Ontology of Happiness Among Chronically Ill Filipino Elderly in a Penal Institution

Happiness is a positive phenomenon that is universal in nature and is therefore, pertinent to all human beings. However, the
definition of happiness differs from person to person, and varies among cultures, economic status, social connectedness, spiritual
upbringing and daily situations. An individual’s contextual perception of happiness can change when subjected to bleak conditions
such as incarceration wherein inmates, especially those who are old and are experiencing health impairments are stripped off
with their customary source of happiness. Since Filipinos are known to be as “happy people,” this study purports to surface
the different facets of what constitute happiness in the context of a penal institution in the Philippine setting. The Q-methodology
is the primary design used in the study. It combines the objectivity of quantitative approach with the essence of human experiences
as explored in qualitative studies. The participants (P-sample) were twenty elderly inmates suffering from chronic ailments.
They were asked to arrange 32 statements (Q-sample), derived from the initial interview, in the Q-sort table based on their
degree of agreement, which were then further explicated in the post-sort interviews. The results were then subjected to by-person
factor analysis with varimax rotation using the PQ Method version 2.11. Five profiles emerged from the by-person factor analysis,
namely: (1) ‘Sense of Affinity’, (2) ‘Sense of Opportunity’, (3) ‘Sense of Indemnity’, (4) ‘Sense of Positivity’ and (5) ‘Sense
of Resiliency’. The discussion focused on similarities and differences among profiles regarding the four principal themes
(familial, social, internal and spiritual components of happiness) derived from the statements used as the Q-sample. The perception
of happiness varies from profile to profile. The differences in views on what constitutes happiness among profiles are more
prominent than their said similarities. Most leanings are directed toward the familial and spiritual aspects of happiness
however, happiness can also be internally motivated and cognitively construed. While happiness has a direct relationship to
an individual’s overall perception of well-being, the nurse, being the primary provider of holistic care, plays a pivotal
role in promoting optimum health through awareness, knowledge, and appreciation of vis-a vis an unwavering involvement with
the unique and distinct psychological and emotional needs of the elderly inmates characterized by respect, openness, authenticity
and inter-subjectivity.