Multidimensional psychosocial profiles in the elderly and happiness: a cluster-based identification
Objectives: Evidence supports that subjective well-being (SWB) diminishes in the old age and that this decline is strongly determined by elders' psychosocial resources. This study explored person-centred, multidimensional, empirically-derived profiles of psychosocial functioning in the elderly...
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| Published in: | Aging & mental health Vol. 18; no. 4; pp. 489 - 503 |
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| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
| Format: | Journal Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
England
Routledge
19-05-2014
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | Get full text |
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| Summary: | Objectives: Evidence supports that subjective well-being (SWB) diminishes in the old age and that this decline is strongly determined by elders' psychosocial resources. This study explored person-centred, multidimensional, empirically-derived profiles of psychosocial functioning in the elderly and related each trajectory to differing configurations of SWB.Method: A community-based, convenience sample of Spanish institutionalised and non-institutionalised elders voluntarily participated in this cross-sectional study.Results: A cluster analysis produced three within-person psychosocial profiles characterised by distinct patterns of functioning: highly successful elders demonstrated to be healthy, highly confident in their own resources and very active in daily life; moderately successful elders demonstrated average functioning across domains, although they expected decreases in the future; and highly impaired elders were ill and stressed, at a high risk for future health problems and depression, and tried to compensate for their status mainly through social support. Each of these profiles was related differently to SWB configurations: highly successful elders demonstrated significantly higher happiness, positive affect, affect balance and life satisfaction; moderately successful elders showed average levels of SWB but decreased positive affect; and highly impaired elders demonstrated dramatically lower SWB. Furthermore, such trajectories were associated with the elders' living condition. The happiest elders were more likely to be home-dwelling elders; however, there were fewer unhappy elders among those who were institutionalised.Conclusion: A person-centred approach to assessing psychosocial and SWB configurations provides a rich picture of individual differences in the ageing processes and can help in designing interventions aimed at enhancing happiness in old age. |
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| Bibliography: | ObjectType-Article-1 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-2 content type line 23 |
| ISSN: | 1360-7863 1364-6915 |
| DOI: | 10.1080/13607863.2013.856861 |