Psiholoski i zdravstveni korelati uspjesnog starenja: razlike s obzirom na spol, dob i obrazovanje

Abstract

I.Tucak Junaković) https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4963-8219 (M. Nekić) Istraživanja u području starenja danas više nisu usmjerena samo na kronične bolesti i funkcionalne gubitke, već uključuju i pozitivne aspekte starosti kao što su očuvanje i razvijanje potencijala i sposobnosti te kvalitete života u kasnijim godinama. Populacija osoba starije dobi vrlo je heterogena pa postoje prijedlozi da ih je potrebno razlikovati prema obrazovanju, spolu, dobi, funkcionalnoj sposobnosti i drugim obilježjima. Osnovni cilj ovoga rada bio je provjeriti postoje li dobne, spolne i obrazovne razlike u uspješnom starenju i nekim njegovim korelatima kao što su zdravlje i psihološka dobrobit, te je provedeno istraživanje na uzorku od 329 sudionika. Rezultati analiza pokazali su da muškarci (neovisno o dobi) procjenjuju svoje tjelesno zdravlje značajno boljim nego žene. Starije stare osobe su zadovoljnije financijama od mlađih starih, a mlađi su otvoreniji prema novim životnim iskustvima od starijih samo u ženskom poduzorku. Mlađe stare žene procjenjuju svoj proces starenja uspješnijim te se smatraju generativnijima nego mlađi stari muškarci, no stariji stari muškarci su uspješniji i imaju veći osjećaj generativnosti nego starije stare žene. Značajne razlike potvrđene su i među osobama različitog obrazovnog statusa. Ovakvi nalazi ukazuju da se u starosti osobe ne bi trebale tretirati kao homogena populacija, te potvrđuju važnost i potrebu razmatranja starih osoba kao heterogenih podskupina. / Contemporary research in the field of aging no longer focuses only on chronic diseases and loss of function, but alsoencompasses positive aspects of aging, such as the maintenance and development of potential and abilities and the quality of life in later years. The population of older people is very heterogeneous and there are proposals to differentiate the group according to education, gender, age, functional abilities, and other characteristics. The main objective of this paper was to investigate whether there are age-, gender-, and education-specific differences in successful aging together with some of its correlates, such as health and psychological well-being. The study was conducted on a sample of 329 participants. The results of the analysis show that men (regardless of age) rate their physical health significantly higher than women. Older elders are more satisfied with their finances than younger elders, and younger elders are more open to new life experiences than older elders in the female subsample only. Younger old women rate their aging process as more successful and are more generative than younger old men, but older old men are more successful and have a greater sense of generativity than older old women. Significant differences were also found between people with different educational status. These findings suggest that people in old age should not be treated as a homogeneous population and confirm the importance and need to consider older people as heterogeneous subgroups.

Lifestyle Factors, Psychosocial Resources, and Mental Health in Older People

“…There is a growing scientific interest in studying the role of social factors in the context of successful aging and mental health. The most commonly studied aspect of social relationships is social support, the most important predictor of high levels of life satisfaction and its increase over time (Ambrosi-Randić, 2022). In particular, emotional and instrumental support can promote mental health and protect against stress, anxiety, and sadness in the aging process (Lara et al, 2020).…”