scholarly journals Meaning of Life and Well-Being: Preliminary Results of the Successful Aging Study

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 112-112
Author(s):  
Zvi Gellis ◽  
Kim McClive-Reed ◽  
Bonnie Kenaley ◽  
Eunhae Kim
Keyword(s):  
Meaning In Life ◽  
Successful Aging ◽  
Older Persons ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Community Dwelling ◽  
Life Questionnaire ◽  
Presence Of Meaning ◽  
Aging Study ◽  
Proxy Measure ◽  
Health And Well Being

Abstract Meaning in life for older persons has become a focal research point, with findings that a greater sense of meaning is associated with better outcomes on a range of health and well-being factors. Our study examined relationships between scores on several personality scales, including the Meaning in Life Questionnaire (Steger et al., 2009) and the WHO-5 Well-Being Index, a proxy measure of mood/depression. Community-dwelling members (N=535) of Osher Lifelong Learning Institutes aged 50 and up (mean age 71.4, SD = 6.93) at 3 U.S. sites completed surveys. Higher wellness levels were significantly correlated with increased resilience, optimism, life satisfaction, and presence of meaning in life, while lower levels were associated with greater searching for meaning in life. A multivariate linear regression model (F = 55.597, df = 4, p = .000, R = .566, R2 = .320) showed that wellness scores increased with higher scores in optimism (ß = .348, p =.000), resilience (ß = .183, p = .000), and presence of meaning in life (ß = .106, p = .019). However, searching for meaning in life significantly predicted decreases in wellness scores (ß = -.084, p=.019). These results support those of previous studies, suggesting that for older persons, an ongoing search for meaning in life is linked to negative outcomes than a perception of existing meaning in life. A variety of available interventions aimed at increasing meaning and purpose in life (Guerrero-Torelles et al., 2017) may contribute to better health and well-being in older adults.

scholarly journals An Association of Quality of Life and Ageing Perceptions Among Community Dwelling Older Adults in Uganda

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joy Louise -Onoria ◽  
Raymond Odokonyero ◽  
Bruno Giordani ◽  
Dickens Akena ◽  
Emmanuel Mwesiga ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Older Persons ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Community Dwelling ◽  
Life Questionnaire ◽  
Social Activities ◽  
Positive Perception

Abstract Background: Uganda’s population, though, largely characterized by young people, has seen the number of people aged 60 and over grow from 686,000 twenty years ago, to 1,433,596 in 2014. Effective caring for the well-being of this population requires strategic and deliberate planning that involves quality of life (QoL) assessments. QoL assessments among the elderly are important in evaluating the efficacy of strategies, such as health interventions, welfare programs, health care, and well-being of the elderly. However, elderly in Uganda face several challenges, ranging from loneliness, poor housing, lack of social and financial support, and poor health. These may negatively affect older persons’ quality of life and consequently their perceptions and attitudes towards aging. Methods: The study was carried out in 2019 in the communities of Nansana and Busukuma town councils in Wakiso district, Uganda. The participants were 380 people 60 years and older. To establish the association between perceptions of ageing and QoL, this study utilized a locally adapted version of the Older Person’s Quality of Life Questionnaire (OPQOL) and the Brief Ageing Perceptions Questionnaire (B-APQ). The OPQOL assesses three domains of QoL: Health QoL (HQoL); Social economic QoL (SQoL); and Psychosocial QoL (PQoL). The B-APQ assesses perceptions about physical age, participation in social activities, and perceptions about ability to regulate emotions as one ages. Pearson’s Chi-square tests were used to characterize the relationship between the perceptions and quality of life.Results: The majority of the respondents, 61% (95%CI 56.7-64.8), had negative perceptions towards ageing. Eighty six percent had poor HQoL, 90% poor SQoL and 83% poor PQoL. There was a significant association between good HQoL and positive perception about participation in social activities (X2 = 7.3670, P = 0.007) as well as with positive perception on regulation of emotions (X2 = 18.1803, P<0.001). There was a significant association between good SQoL and positive perception about participation in social activities (X2 = 5.3472, P = 0.021), as well with positive perception on regulation of emotions (X2 = 10.5128, P<0.001). A significant association between good PQoL and positive perception on regulation of emotions (X2 = 9.2414, P= 0.002).Conclusion: Positive perceptions of ageing are associated with good QoL. Directly addressing perceptions of ageing could be a low cost and effective strategy to improve the QoL of older persons in SSA

scholarly journals Relationships between Cultural Adaptation and Immigrants’ Well-Being

Psico-USF ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (3) ◽  
pp. 467-481
Author(s):  
Érica Henke Garcia Martinet ◽  
Bruno Figueiredo Damásio
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Adaptation ◽  
Meaning In Life ◽  
Cultural Distance ◽  
Short Form ◽  
Meaning Of Life ◽  
Psychological Adaptation ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Life Questionnaire ◽  
Presence Of Meaning ◽  
Predictive Relationship

Abstract The present study aimed to evaluate the predictive relationship of socio-demographic variables, cultural adaptation and hope on general well-being (GWB), subjective (SWB), social (SoWB) and psychological (PWB) and in the meaning of life. The participants consisted of 108 immigrants. The instruments used were: bio sociodemographic questionnaire, Mental Health Continuum - Short Form, Dispositional Hope Scale, Acculturation Measures and Meaning of Life Questionnaire. In general, only sociocultural adaptation showed a positive predictive relationship with all types of well-being studied, nonetheless this measure presented a negative predictive relationship regarding the presence of meaning in life. Psychological adaptation was predictively and positively related only to SWB. The perception of cultural distance negatively affected SoWB. The presence of meaning was also negatively predicted by the type of immigration and age. The search for meaning was negatively predicted only by income. The results are important for a better understanding of factors that influence the experience of immigrants in Brazil.

Felt Age, Desired, and Expected Lifetime in the Context of Health, Well-Being, and Successful Aging

2017 ◽  
Vol 87 (1) ◽  
pp. 33-51 ◽  
Author(s):  
Neala Ambrosi-Randić ◽  
Marina Nekić ◽  
Ivana Tucak Junaković
Keyword(s):  
Successful Aging ◽  
Older Persons ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Community Dwelling ◽  
Chronological Age ◽  
Subjective Age ◽  
Psychological Variables ◽  
Age Identity ◽  
Self Rated Health ◽  
Length Of Life

This study examines the interrelations of three different aspects of the subjective age: felt, desired and expected, as well as their relations with the chronological age (CA), health, and psychological well-being variables. Four hundred and twenty-three community-dwelling Croatian adults, aged 60–95 years, participated in the study. All three subjective age measures significantly correlated with the CA. Self-rated health were better predictors of the subjective age compared to the psychological variables. Among psychological variables, successful aging was the only significant predictor of the felt and expected age, while optimism showed to be the only significant predictor of the desired age. Results indicate the importance of some sociodemographic, psychological, and health variables for understanding older persons' subjective age identity and their desires and expectations regarding length of life. Besides the CA, it is very useful to include subjective age measures in research with elderly people.

scholarly journals PHYSIOLOGY OF SUCCESSFUL AGING: IMPLICATIONS FOR HEALTH AND WELL-BEING

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S434-S434
Author(s):  
Konstantinos Mantantzis ◽  
Denis Gerstorf ◽  
Thomas M Hess
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Successful Aging ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Empathic Accuracy ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Subjective Well Being ◽  
Use Of Data ◽  
Aging Study ◽  
Underlying Mechanisms ◽  
Relationship Factors

Abstract Research into peripheral physiology and its association with cognition, emotionality, and social/physical functioning has received considerable attention over the years. However, many of the underlying mechanisms are not well understood. In this symposium, we have compiled a set of four empirical projects that showcase current and future endeavors to address some of the long-standing questions about when, how, and why physiology shapes and is shaped by key psychosocial resources. Hawkley et al. make use of data from the NSHAP and HRS longitudinal studies to investigate whether social relationships such as number of friends predicts risk of diabetes among older adults. Wilson et al. use dyadic data from young and middle-aged couples to examine cardiometabolic similarity among spouses, and how such concordance is shaped by key relationship factors such as emotional closeness. Pauly et al. use data from two daily-life studies of older couples to investigate how physiological synchrony in cortisol is modulated by partner interactions, empathy, and empathic accuracy. Finally, Mantantzis et al. make use of multi-year longitudinal data from the Berlin Aging Study II to examine the role of glucose regulation capacity for trajectories of subjective well-being among older adults. Thomas Hess will discuss the importance of these papers, discuss strengths and weaknesses of the approaches chosen, and consider implications for future research.

scholarly journals Cross-Cultural Evaluation of Antonovsky’s Orientation to Life Questionnaire: Comparison Between Australian, Finnish, and Turkish Young Adults

2018 ◽  
Vol 122 (2) ◽  
pp. 731-747 ◽  
Author(s):  
Timo Lajunen
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Differences ◽  
Factor Model ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Cross Cultural ◽  
Life Questionnaire ◽  
Single Factor ◽  
Scale Scores ◽  
Health And Well Being ◽  
Three Factor ◽  
Single Factor Model

Antonovsky’s concept “sense of coherence” (SOC) and the related measurement instrument “The Orientation to Life Questionnaire” (OLQ) has been widely applied in studies on health and well-being. The purpose of the present study is to investigate the cultural differences in factor structures and psychometric properties as well as mean scores of the 13-item form of Antonovsky’s OLQ among Australian (n = 201), Finnish (n = 203), and Turkish (n = 152) students. Three models of factor structure were studied by using confirmatory factor analysis: single-factor model, first-order correlated-three-factor model, and the second-order three-factor model. Results obtained in all three countries suggest that the first- and second-order three-factor models fitted the data better that the single-factor model. Hence, the OLQ scoring based on comprehensibility, manageability, and meaningfulness scales was supported. Scale reliabilities and inter-correlations were in line with those reported in earlier studies. Two-way analyses of variance (gender × nationality) with age as a covariate showed no cultural differences in SOC scale scores. Women got higher scores on the meaningfulness scale than men, and age was positively related to all SOC scale scores indicating that SOC increases in early adulthood. The results support the three-factor model of OLQ which thus should be used in Australia, Finland, and Turkey instead of a single-factor model. Need for cross-cultural studies taking into account cultural correlates of SOC and its relation to health and well-being indicators as well as studies on gender differences in the OLQ are emphasized.

scholarly journals Threats to Health and Well-Being Perceived by Older People in Poland and Portugal

2018 ◽  
Vol 31 (7-8) ◽  
pp. 409 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria da Piedade Moreira Brandão ◽  
Laura Martins ◽  
Marlena Szewczyczak ◽  
Dorota Talarska ◽  
Ian Philp ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older People ◽  
Older Persons ◽  
Health Care Services ◽  
Bodily Pain ◽  
Memory Loss ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Joint Project ◽  
Health And Well Being

Introduction: According to the OECD, Portugal and Poland rank below average in several well-being measures such as income and wealth, and health status. Investigating how people perceive the threats to health in these two countries, is an important issue to address priority needs. To meet this need, the objective of this paper was to compare the perceptions of the threats to the health and well-being among the Polish and Portuguese older persons and explore differences between the countries in respect of patterns of self-rated health.Material and Methods: A Cross-sectional study with two convenience samples from primary health care services of Poland and Portugal was conducted; 480 adults aged 65 and over (247 Portuguese) were included. The EASYCare standard assessment of 2010 was applied under a joint project of both countries. The association between ‘self-rated unhealthy’ and socio-demographic and threats to health variables was examined using logistic regression.Results: In both countries about two thirds of the older persons self-rated their health as unhealthy. Having more than enough finances was associated with a significant lower odds of being unhealthy compared with those without enough finances at the end of the month (Portugal: OR = 0.25, 95% CI 0.10 to 0.63; Poland: OR = 0.33, 95% CI 0.12 to 0.88). Visual problems, bodily pain, memory loss, feeling bored or lonely and reporting shortness of breath during normal activities was consistently associated with fair or poor self-rated health.Discussion: These findings provide important information regarding the health profile of older people which can help in the development of people-centred health systems where their lives and well-being can be improved. Conclusion: The unhealthy perception of older people was consistently associated with indicators of major health threats.

The orientation to life questionnaire: Assessing older adults’ sense of coherence

2016 ◽  
Vol 33 (S1) ◽  
pp. s289-s289
Author(s):  
S. von Humboldt ◽  
I. Leal
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Psychometric Properties ◽  
Sense Of Coherence ◽  
Discriminant Validity ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Community Dwelling ◽  
Care Practice ◽  
Life Questionnaire ◽  
Distributional Properties ◽  
Cross National

IntroductionGrowing literature suggests that the sense of coherence (SOC) positively influences well-being in later life.ObjectivesThis study reports the assessment the following psychometric properties: distributional properties, construct, criterion and external-related validities, and reliability, of the Orientation to Life Questionnaire (OtLQ) in an cross-national population of older adults.MethodsWe recruited 1291 community-dwelling older adults aged between 75–102 years (M = 83.9; SD = 6.68). Convenience sampling was used to gather questionnaire data. The construct validity was asserted by confirmatory factor analysis, convergent and discriminant validity. Moreover, criterion and external-related validities, as well as distributional properties and reliability were also tested.ResultsData gathered with the 29-items OtLQ scale showed overall good psychometric properties, in terms of distributional properties, construct, criterion and external-related validities, as well as reliability. Three factors were validated for the OtLQ scale: (a) comprehensibility; (b) manageability; and (c) meaningfulness.ConclusionWe validated the 3-factor OtLQ scale, which produced valid and reliable data for a cross-national sample with older adults. Hence, it is an adequate instrument for assessing sense of coherence among older people in health care practice and program development contexts.Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.

scholarly journals How Does Search for Meaning Lead to Presence of Meaning for Korean Army Soldiers? The Mediating Roles of Leisure Crafting and Gratitude

2022 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jung In Lim ◽  
Jason Yu ◽  
Young Woo Sohn
Keyword(s):  
Meaning In Life ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Search For Meaning ◽  
Daily Lives ◽  
Presence Of Meaning ◽  
Army Soldiers ◽  
The Republic

Many studies demonstrate that finding meaning in life reduces stress and promotes physical and psychological well-being. However, extant literature focuses on meaning in life among the general population (e.g., college students or office workers) in their daily lives. Thus, this study aimed to investigate the mechanisms of how individuals living in life-threatening and stressful situations obtain meaning in life, by investigating the mediating roles of leisure crafting and gratitude. A total of 465 Army soldiers from the Republic of Korea (ROK) participated in two-wave surveys with a 2-week interval. Structural equation modeling analyses indicated that the direct effects between the search for meaning, presence of meaning, leisure crafting, and gratitude were significant, except for the direct relationship between the search for meaning and the presence of meaning, and between leisure crafting and the presence of meaning. We tested indirect effects using a Monte Carlo approach and found that leisure crafting and gratitude sequentially mediated the relationship between the search for meaning and the presence of meaning. Our findings highlight the importance of the motivation behind searching for meaning, the proactive use of leisure time, and gratitude for individuals in stressful situations and controlled lifestyles. Finally, we discuss the implications and limitations of this research and future research directions.

scholarly journals Correlation between Mindfulness, Coherence and Wisdom in Sample of Different Age Groups in Adulthood

2015 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
pp. 244
Author(s):  
Guna Svence
Keyword(s):  
Content Analysis ◽  
Quantitative Analysis ◽  
Sense Of Coherence ◽  
Meaning In Life ◽  
Middle Age ◽  
Early Adulthood ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Life Questionnaire ◽  
Analysis Of Narratives

<p><em>There are two different researches has been explain in this article. There is common idea of those two researches (Svence, Mihailova, Bebre, 2014)- does age as correlate statistical significant differ scores of mindfulness, wisdom and coherence.</em></p><p><em>The aim of the first research (Svence, Mihailova, 2014) is to make theoretical and practical analysis of correllations between sense of coherence, mindfulness and wellbeing among 25-45 year old women, as also make qualitative analysis in order to explore one of the sense of coherence categories – meaningfulness. Reserach has shown that there exists positive correlation between wellbeing and sense of coherence and between wellbeing and mindfulness, as aslo it has been shown that higher scores of sense of meaning in life is related to higher scores of wellbeing, yet there are nearly no research where the correlations between mindfulness and sense of coherece and/or meaningfulness would be explored. Yet there are enough research where the realaton of these concepts with other concepts such as self-efficacy, anxiety, stressreactivity is confirmed. Considering the above mentioned it is valuable to explore relations between sense of coherence, mindfulness and wellbeing. </em></p><p><em>Principal question of the research was to investigate if there is an association between sense of coherence, mindfulness and wellbeing, as also to make qualitative and quantitative analysis and acquire the broader understanding of this association. There were 36 participants in the research who were asked to fill three questionnaires via internet and to particiapate in the interview. Quantative methods were used in the research (Fife Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire, Orientation to Life Questionnaire to measure sense of coherence, Scales of Psychological Well-Being), as well as statistical methods (Pearson correlation) and qualitative method (content analysis of narratives). </em></p><p><em>Quantitative analysis confirmed the question of the research, since there were significant positive correlations discovered between all three concepts – sense of coherence, mindfulness and wellbeing. Content analysis of narratives was made and several typical content units were discovered whish are related to age appropriate meaningful life tasks, and to the processes of sense of coherence. Therefore the associatio between meaningfulness and other sense of coherence components was confirmed. </em></p><p><em>There is other research (Svence, Bebre,2014) about wisdom and meaningfulness scores- how they  correlates and differes in different age subgroups in adulthood.</em></p><p><em>There are some results show- scores of wisdom and meaningfulness are not significant differ in different age groups- early adulthood (20-35), middle age (40-55)  mathematical statistical significant, but differences has been finded about wisdom in early adulthood and middle age – according scores – wisdom is more higher in middle age as in early adulthood.</em></p><p> </p>

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