Selected indicators of mental health in the elderly - the participants the University of the Third Age

Abstract

Aim: The aim of the research study is to identify the selected indicators of mental health, such as meaning of life, experience of well-being, hope, and feelings of loneliness and depression in the elderly participating in the University of the Third Age, in relation to their age and gender. Design: A quantitative descriptive study. Methods: The selection of respondents was deliberate. The sample consisted of 147 seniors with a mean age of 67.4 (± 4.9) years enrolled at the University of the Third Age at Jessenius Faculty of Medicine, Comenius University. Data were collected by means of self-assessment scales -the Life Meaningfulness Scale, Snyder´s Hope Scale, the Emotional Habitual Subjective Well-being Scale, the Loneliness Scale, and the Geriatric Depression Scale. Results: Seniors considered their life meaningful, and expressed a high level of hope. Their emotions were predominately positive. We identified low levels of loneliness and found no indication of depressed mood. We identified significant differences between men and women in evaluation indicators of mental health only in the frequency of positive emotions. Conclusion: The study indicates the presence of salutogenic factors affecting the mental health of the sample of seniors in the process of active aging. The results could form the basis for implementing preventive strategies in clinical nursing practice.

Active Ageing Through Lifelong Learning: The University of the Third Age

“…Although one finds no longitudinal research on the relationship between U3A membership, on the one hand, and improvement in physical and cognitive well-being, on the other, various cross-sectional studies outlined how U3As bring about direct benefits to their members' overall welfare (Maniecka-Bryła, Gajewska, Burzynska, & Byrla, 2013;Niedzielska et al, 2017;Zielinska-Wieczkowska, Ciemnoczołowski, Kedziora-Kornatowska, & Muszali, 2013). An association between participation in U3As and improved levels of self-assurance, self-satisfaction, selfesteem and sense of coherence, on the one hand, and a decline of depressive and anxiety symptoms, on the other, is a frequent result in both survey and ethnographic research (Tomagová, Farský, Bóriková, & Zanovitová, 2016). In the Polish context, researchers concluded that Participation in various forms of educational activity broadens one's horizons.…”

Envelhecimento e modos de ensino-aprendizagem

“…Dependendo dos cursos oferecidos aos idosos, os benefícios variam de saúde física, melhoras no bem-estar, na memória, na socialização, na autoestima, na capacidade funcional, no raciocínio, entre outros (Adamo et al, 2017;Zając-Gawlak et al, 2016;Tomágová et al, 2016;Zielinska-Wieczkowska, 2016;Działa, 2016).…”

Occurrence of mood disorders among educationally active older adults in Bialystok, Poland: a cross-sectional study

“…It helps to mobilize intellectual and cognitive functions and to strengthen physical and mental health, and thus to life satisfaction. It creates an opportunity to acquire knowledge in various fields of science, to actively spend free time, increase the number and improve the quality of social relations, and also creates an opportunity for self-realization [20].…”