Investigating Holistic Wellness Dimensions During Older Adulthood: A Factor Analytic Study

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine what dimensions of holistic wellness emerged in a sample of older adults (N = 229) using the Perceived Wellness Survey, and if these dimensions resembled developmental theories of aging. Results from an exploratory principalaxis factor analysis revealed a four-factor solution of holistic wellness: Existential Success, Existential Despair, Physical Wellness, and Future Physical Wellness. Discussion pertaining to how these factor solutions corroborate with the developmental literature is provided, as well as suggestions for further research and humanistic counseling strategies.

Using Wellness and Resilience to Predict Age Perception in Older Adulthood

“…With regard to reducing older adults’ internalized ageism, it appears that physical wellness is particularly meaningful to older people. The importance of physical wellness to older adults has been demonstrated in previous studies on wellness (Foster et al, ; Foster & Levitov, ), and its link to internalized ageism in the current study appears to be consistent with research linking physical well‐being to cognitive health (Strout & Howard, ). In particular, our results suggest that tuning in to older adults’ exercise levels may shed light on their internally held assumptions about the aging process.…”

“…Although there is a large body of wellness research in the counseling literature, very little of it relates to the intersection of wellness and aging (Myers, ). The wellness research that does exist with this population has focused on identifying how wellness may be defined differently by older adults (Foster, Galjour, & Spengel, ; Foster & Levitov, ), comparing older adults with younger adults on measures of wellness (Myers & Degges‐White, ), and identifying the relationship between whole‐person wellness and cognitive health in older adulthood (Strout & Howard, , ). Similarly, although the research on resilience in older adulthood has steadily increased, there are currently no articles within the professional counseling literature that demonstrate how members of the counseling profession might promote resilience in older people.…”

Counseling for Wellness With Older Adults

“…Foster, Galjour, and Spengel () used an exploratory factor analysis to examine how older adults define holistic wellness. They used a sample of 229 adults ranging in age from 60 to 97 years who completed the Perceived Wellness Survey (Adams et al, ).…”