Subjective and psychological well-being among elderly participants of a University of the Third Age

Abstract

Objective: The present study aimed to analyze the distribution of measures of subjective and psychological well-being according to demographic criteria and length of participation in the program. Method: A cross sectional study using the following instruments was carried out: a sociodemographic questionnaire (age, gender, education, length of participation in University of the Third Age (U3A) and similar programs located in the city of São Paulo, Brazil; an Overall Life Satisfaction Scale; a Life Satisfaction Scale that contemplated four domains: health, physical capacity, mental capacity and social involvement; a Positive/Negative Affect Scale; and a Personal Development Scale. The data were analyzed by the chi-squared test (for comparison of categorical variables), the Mann-Whitney and the Kruskal-Wallis U tests (for comparison of continuous variables). Results: Age and gender were the main factors that were significantly associated with overall life satisfaction, life satisfaction in specific domains, and morale. Higher education was associated with psychological adjustment. Conclusion: Participating in a U3A contributes to high levels of subjective and psychological well-being. Elderly individuals of more advanced ages and men had higher rates of satisfaction with life and positive feelings. The elderly can assess their development trajectory, their commitment to society and consider their efforts in pursuing an ideal of personal excellence.

Cardiometabolic diseases and active aging - polypharmacy in control

“…The presentation of diplomas or certificates of education is not required for the enrollment in workshops and lectures. As UNATI participants respond to calls made by the programs, in general, their profile is characteristic of an active and successful aging (9) .…”

“…In general, individuals attending UnATI have characteristics of a successful and active aging (9) . The elderly who maintain their independence and self-determination, that is, the capacity to exercise their autonomy, should be considered healthy, even if they present one or more chronic diseases (3) .…”

Elderly individuals in multigenerational households: Family composition, satisfaction with life and social involvement

“…It was observed that elderly individuals with tri-generational arrangements were female, widowed and with a larger number of children. The engagement in these activities may be related to motivational and relational factors, since participation in social activities may increase the perception of the elderly individual's quality of life (Borges & Magalhães, 2011;Mantovani, Lucca, & Neri, 2016;Cachioni et al, 2017). However, there was no relationship between the household arrangement, age, education, mood, the mean MSME score, and BADL-and IADL-related difficulties, which may be associated with two factors: (1) when selecting the cognitively healthy individuals (50% of the sample), the most dependent ones could have been excluded and this factor could have generated a selection bias; (2) it is a sample of elderly individuals with a high prevalence of functional difficulties (50%) and less variability in relation to the sociodemographic variables investigated.…”

Bem-Estar Subjetivo de Imigrantes Senegaleses

“…Diversas áreas abordaram diferentes termos e designações ao estudar o BES, os quais, mesmo tendo alguma similaridade, não podem ser tratados como sinônimos (Andrews & Robinson, 1991;Campbell, Converse, & Rogers, 1976;George, 1981;Horley, 1984). O consenso entre os conceitos relacionados à temática ainda não ocorreu, embora há tempos venha sendo sugerido por pesquisadores (Diener, 1984 O BES é a área da ciência que visa compreender quais os critérios utilizados pelas pessoas para avaliar sua vida (Diener, 1996), pensando o que a torna boa e desejável (Albuquerque & Tróccoli, 2004;Cachioni et al, 2017). Pode ser denominado de outras formas como: felicidade, satisfação, estado de espírito e afeto positivo.…”

“…Assim, considera-se que os indivíduos avaliam suas vidas a partir de aspirações e comparações com fatos ocorridos no passado, bem como utilizam outras pessoas como parâmetros e modelos ideais de satisfação (Michalos, 1985;Cachioni et al, 2017). Isto pode levar a certo grau de discrepância entre a condição atual e o padrão comparado, pela possibilidade de envolver uma comparação superior, o que resultará na diminuição da satisfação.…”