Death Anxiety and Loneliness among Older Adults: Role of Parental Self-Efficacy

Abstract

Death anxiety and loneliness are major issues for older people. The present study aimed to broaden the understanding of factors that are linked with increased loneliness in old age by examining the association between death anxiety and loneliness, and the role of an unexplored variable among older adults, namely, parental self-efficacy. A convenience sample of 362 Israeli parents over the age of 65 was recruited through means of social media. Participants completed self-reported questionnaires, which included background characteristics, death anxiety, parental self-efficacy, and loneliness measures. The findings showed that death anxiety was positively associated with loneliness among older adults. The findings also confirmed that parental self-efficacy moderated this association in this population. We concluded that the combination of death anxiety and low parental self-efficacy identified a group of older adults that are at higher risk of developing increased loneliness levels. Mental health professionals should consider intergenerational relationships as a fundamental component of older adults’ daily lives, focusing on parental self-efficacy in old age, as this appears to be a resilience resource.

Meaning in Life among Older Adults: An Integrative Model

“…Reduced self-efficacy among older people in social situations may result in age-related physical changes, loss of previous social roles, and decreased formation of new social relationships [ 46 ]. A link was also found between parental self-efficacy and loneliness among older adults [ 47 ]. An association was shown between self-efficacy and MIL in the general Norwegian population [ 48 ]; however, to the best of our knowledge, the contribution of self-efficacy to explaining variability in MIL among older adults has yet to be examined.…”

Parental Self-Efficacy Among Israeli Older Adults

“…These changes require new depiction of the parental role, which might affect parents' confidence in their ability to function and succeed in the parenting role. As far as we know, this confidence in parental ability, namely PSE, has only been examined among older adults in one previous study (see Greenblatt-Kimron, Kestler-Peleg, Even-Zohar, & Lavenda, 2021a). Nevertheless, in light of the evidence in recent decades of the significance of parenting in older age for promoting higher quality of life, greater physical and mental health, and well-being (Levitzki, 2009;Lowenstein, 2007;Mendonça & Fontaine, 2014), further examination of PSE among older adults is required (Greenblatt-Kimron, Kestler-Peleg, et al, 2021a).…”

“…As far as we know, this confidence in parental ability, namely PSE, has only been examined among older adults in one previous study (see Greenblatt-Kimron, Kestler-Peleg, Even-Zohar, & Lavenda, 2021a). Nevertheless, in light of the evidence in recent decades of the significance of parenting in older age for promoting higher quality of life, greater physical and mental health, and well-being (Levitzki, 2009;Lowenstein, 2007;Mendonça & Fontaine, 2014), further examination of PSE among older adults is required (Greenblatt-Kimron, Kestler-Peleg, et al, 2021a). Since information on PSE among older adults is scarce, the study is based on existing knowledge regarding PSE during earlier life-cycle stages.…”

Motivational Influences Affecting Middle-Aged and Elderly Users’ Participation Intention in Health-Related Social Media

“…In the locked-down environment during the COVID-19 epidemic, death anxiety, distress, and loneliness were all amplified [ 62 ]. Older adults have a higher mortality rate from COVID-19 than other age groups [ 63 ], and this has a profound impact on the death anxiety of the elderly, which directly affects their sense of loneliness [ 64 ]. These perceived threats are likely to stimulate and increase personal–protection motivation, and a strong protection motivation is likely to attract users to participate in social media communication [ 65 ].…”